Nothing Out of the Normal
by Gaara
Summary: True, Ryu was used to having strange occurences in his life. But when his best friend is suddenly kidnapped and he finds himself thrown into the world of a very well known Manga and anime series, things get a little strange...
1. Default Chapter

Ch. 1 - A New Rival Surfaces!  
  
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"I don't think this is a good idea Yugo." The white-haired young turned back and grinned at his friend.  
  
"Hey, quit worrying so much Ryu. The forest is just that, a forest. You really believe such a thing exists as the Forest of Death?" Ryu shrugged and adjusted the shoulder strap for his guitar case. The two had been good friends for a long time. Ryu's hair was the exact opposite of Yugo's; brown, short and spiked in such a way that it almost looked dangerous.  
  
"You never know. And besides, better safe then sorry I always say."  
  
"Yeah I know you do. Did you have to bring your guitar with you?" Ryu grunted and patted the case before checking the pockets of his tan cargos.  
  
"We just got off school. Where else would I put it?" Yugo sighed. He pushed a tree branch out of the way. They were getting closer. A mysterious young boy had informed him earlier of just where he was going and what he was going there for.  
  
"You have a point. Come on, that kid told me we're looking for a large tree with a hole near the base. It should be pretty close." Ryu shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. The sooner they got done, the sooner he could go home and practice. He grunted as a branch scratched his cheek. Yugo looked back at him again before coming out into a clearing. In the center of the clearing stood a very large tree; the base of it was easily the size of a van. Ryu looked ahead to try and see through the dense foliage, but he couldn't.  
  
"Hey Yugo!"  
  
"Come on, you gotta see this Ryu!" Ryu rushed forward and looked at the huge tree. His eyes then moved to the base, where he saw Yugo standing. He took a step forward when he stopped. Somebody was watching them.  
  
"What's wrong Ryu?" He put a hand up to silence him. Yugo looked around.  
  
"Behind you!" Ryu cried as he looked forward just in time to see a cloaked figure grab Yugo around the neck and place a small dagger-like weapon against his throat.  
  
"I suggest you follow me if you want to see your friend alive again." The figure cackled as he stepped back and vanished through the tree with Yugo. Ryu blinked a few times. Had he just seen what he thought he had? After a moment of thought, he stepped toward the tree and touched it. A look of mild surprise crossed his features as his hand passed through the bark.  
  
"What's going on here?" He shrugged and looked down at his guitar.  
  
"Hopefully this won't be anything too dangerous. This baby wasn't cheap." With great reluctance, he stepped through the tree.  
  
***********  
  
"Katon Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Ryu clutched his head and shook it vigorously. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was falling and then he blacked out. And who the hell was yelling those crazy words?  
  
"Look out!" Ryu looked up just in time to see a young man dressed completely in orange with blonde hair leap out of nowhere, grab him, and jump away before a huge fireball engulfed the ground he had been standing on. Ryu rubbed his head as the young man put him down.  
  
"Talk about a rude awakening." He looked to his side and sighed with relief when he saw he still had his guitar with him. He pulled it out of the carrying case when he saw that there was a long tear in it.  
  
"Perfect, now I've got to get a new case for this thing." He looked it over and placed it on his back, pulling the strap over his shoulder to keep from dropping it.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ryu looked up again at the young man. He had completely forgotten about the situation he was in.  
  
"I guess so. Where am I?" The young man beamed a smile. Were those whiskers on his face? No, just very similar markings. The headband he wore had a symbol on it that looked very much like a leaf.  
  
"The hidden leaf village of Konoha. My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He nodded and accepted his hand when he offered him help up. The name sounded familiar, like something he had hear somewhere before. Now that he thought about it, the young man also looked very familiar.  
  
"I'm Ryu. Thanks for the help earlier."  
  
"Hey Naruto, who's the bonehead?" Ryu glared daggers at the black haired young man that had just joined the conversation. Did he really have a chance to move on his own? Not much of one, and his head still ached from the fall he believed he had taken. Five minutes ago, he had been standing in the woods. Now, he was in the middle of an open field with two people he had never seen in his life.  
  
"He says his name is Ryu. He doesn't have any kind of headgear; do you think he's from one of the other villages Sasuke?" Naruto questioned as he turned to address the newcomer.  
  
"Unlikely, I don't even think he's a ninja." Ryu dusted himself off and glared at the other, Sasuke.  
  
"Watch it pal, I'll drop you on yer ass in a second." Sasuke crossed his arms and smirked at him.  
  
"Am I supposed to take that as a threat, or a challenge?" Ryu looked between him and Naruto. Then, he pulled his guitar off his back.  
  
"Sorry, I don't want to risk damaging my guitar. Cost me a lot of money you know. I'm sure you understand." Naruto nodded and Sasuke closed his eyes.  
  
"Of course, you're afraid to fight me." Ryu strummed a long note and sat down, glaring up at Sasuke as he did so.  
  
"I never back down from a fight. My guitar comes before my pride though." That statement was true. Ryu would give his life before he'd give away his guitar. He then looked at the ground as he began to play "Life in the Fast Lane". Slightly impressed, Sasuke raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I see, you aren't a fighter."  
  
"Not yet anyway." Sasuke and Naruto both turned around as their sensei appeared out of a cloud of smoke. The white-haired Jounin who kept his face hidden behind a mask, Kakashi.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei! You mean to say that you know who he is?" Ryu listened to the conversation with little interest as he continued to play. It was his way of staying calm even when he became frightened or anxious.  
  
"Yeah Naruto. Well, not entirely. I've got some important news to tell you guys, where's Sakura?"  
  
"Here!" The pink-haired girl cried as she stumbled into earshot panting for breath. Kakashi looked at her with his lazy eye and then knelt down beside Ryu. He placed a hand on the strings of his guitar and Ryu glared at him.  
  
"Touch it again and I'll rip yer head off yer shoulders. Got it?" Kakashi brought a fist down into the top of his head. Ryu fell forward and groaned as he sat back up.  
  
"Cool it, from now on I'm your teacher. If you don't like it, too bad. Death is the only way you're going to get out of the assignment you've been given." Ryu grunted and sat back up. Before he replied, he placed the guitar in its case.  
  
"Hold on, I've only been here five minutes if that. How could you even know who I am?"  
  
"Ryu Tanabe, age fifteen. Trust me, I'm well informed." He muttered something under his breath and stood up. Kakashi gave him a once over before looking at his other three students.  
  
"You guys, this next mission we're going on is going to be very dangerous. First off, we have to train this young man and get him up to speed." Naruto groaned and Kakashi looked over at him.  
  
"I don't like it anymore then you do, but he is the key to the success of this mission and we need help not hindrance." Sasuke smirked again as he looked over at Ryu. Naruto looked between the two. It seemed that there was already a strong sense of rivalry building between them. Sakura looked at Sasuke and then at Ryu.  
  
"Sasuke-kun, is there something wrong with him? You're looking at him like you used to look at Naruto. Do you think he's also an idiot like him as well?" Naruto growled and gritted his teeth.  
  
"No, I can sense his Chakra. It's small, and not very easy to find. But that's only because he's inexperienced. Naruto, let's get to work." Naruto smirked and nodded. They both began to leap away, but Kakashi grabbed them.  
  
"Hold on, I want to give him some individual training before I let you guys take over. He needs to know some key techniques and facts before you just throw him into battle."  
  
**********  
  
"So did you get all that?" Ryu looked up at Kakashi, scratching his head.  
  
"I think so. So you're saying that Chakra is basically a combination of spiritual and physical strength? Right?" Kakashi nodded.  
  
"That's about right. So, are you ready to begin your training?" He nodded. It had only been a few hours, but he was confident he could do this.  
  
"Sure, you promise you'll give me back my guitar afterwards?"  
  
"That was the agreement." Ryu smirked. The Jounin had taken the guitar away after finding it was the only way he would listen. If his guitar was on the line, he had no doubts he would be able to do this. He cracked his knuckles and placed a hand over the small pouch Kakashi had instructed him to put on his left leg. Kakashi pulled out his book and looked over at him before placing a bell on his belt.  
  
"Here's your first test. Try to take this bell from me. If you do, you pass." Ryu crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And if I don't?" Kakashi's lazy eye wandered back to him.  
  
"Then you don't get your guitar back." That was all the motivation he needed. He leapt forward and swiped at the bell. When he reached Kakashi's position, the teacher vanished and reappeared behind him.  
  
"You'll have to do better then that." Ryu stumbled forward and turned around. If he hadn't just been versed in the way of the ninja, it would have caught him way off guard. He spun around and threw a shuriken at him. The small throwing star stuck into the back of Kakashi's book. He glared at Ryu. Inside, he was astounded to see such quick reflexes and thinking. On the outside, he was pissed that his favorite book had just been damaged.  
  
"Maybe I underestimated you." He said softly as he placed the book back in his pouch. Ryu smirked and stood up straight.  
  
"Yer damn right you underestimated me. Now, let's get down to business." Kakashi smiled inwardly. Not since Naruto and the others had come to him had he seen somebody with so much potential. He vanished and Ryu looked around, half expecting him to reappear behind him. When that didn't happen, he began searching the surrounding foliage.  
  
"Didn't I tell you that a ninja must be ready for anything?" Ryu looked at Kakashi in surprise as he flew out of the pond nearby and pinned Ryu's arms behind his back. Ryu grunted then vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Kakashi holding a large rock. Kakashi's eye shot open in surprise. A student tricked him?  
  
"I'm prepared for anything. The question is, are you?" Ryu smirked as he reached out for the bell from behind him. In a blur of motion Kakashi grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm, and pulled him to the ground.  
  
"Very impressive, I never expected a rookie who hasn't even trained to become a Genin to be such a skilled ninja. Are you certain you've never even seen a ninja in your life?" Ryu nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I've seen a lot of movies though, and you seen really familiar." Ryu placed a finger on his cheek as he tried to think, not even noticing that Kakashi still had him pinned down. The faces, the names, everything seemed so familiar to him. Then, the realization hit him. It had only been once, but he remembered the names and characters from a manga he had once read.  
  
"Naruto! You guys are all from Naruto!" Kakashi helped him back up to his feet, not really paying any attention to him.  
  
"Sure, so do you think you're ready to begin the next training session? I'm sure Naruto and Sasuke are ready to teach you what being a real ninja is about." Ryu put a hand out.  
  
"My guitar first." Kakashi sighed, the guitar appeared in a cloud of smoke and he handed it to him. Ryu nodded and placed it on his back.  
  
"Okay, I'm curious to see just how good these guys are." With that, the two headed off for the village to find them. It was going to be one of those days, Ryu was sure. He didn't end up in a manga everyday, but he did usually have a bad tendency to pick fights. Now that he was a bit better educated, he was ready to give Sasuke the beating of a lifetime. 


	2. Ch 2, Clash! The Rookie Shows his Skill

Ch. 2 - Clash! The Rookie Shows his Skill.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"Ryu, are you certain you want to make such a hasty decision? You have not gone through the same training as these three, picking a fight with one of them could prove fatal." Ryu smirked at Kakashi then looked over the three. There was Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and the girl who had yet to introduce herself; if his memory served him correctly her name was Sakura. He had only glanced through the manga, only taking a liking to some certain points in it. So he really did not know what to expect from any of them.  
  
"You should be worrying about them not me. I've got more skill in one finger then any of them do in their whole body. I'll take on any of them to prove I'm ready for this mission, whatever it may be." Naruto growled at his response and pulled up the sleeve of his jacket as he took a step toward him. Sasuke put a hand out and stopped Naruto.  
  
"No, he thinks he's good, I think I'll show him just how wrong he is." Sasuke smirked at him and Ryu glared back.  
  
"You're on." Sasuke took a step forward.  
  
"What? Are you not going to put your guitar somewhere safe?" Ryu grinned.  
  
"Why would I do that? I'm confident in my abilities and I highly doubt that you will touch it. If you do though, it will be the last thing you do." Fire burned in his eyes as he looked into Sasuke's eyes. Never had Ryu felt such a rush of adrenaline before a fight.  
  
"Be careful Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called to him. Ryu looked over at her, what did she see in this guy? He looked back at Sasuke.  
  
"Well, are we just gonna stand here, or shall we get down to business?"  
  
"I thought you'd never ask." Ryu blinked as Sasuke vanished from sight. He spun around, searching for him. Naruto smirked slightly as he watched. He already knew just where Sasuke was. Sasuke sprang out of nowhere and aimed a shuriken at Ryu's back.  
  
"Too slow." Ryu spun and knocked it out of the air with his kunai. As Sasuke landed, Ryu rushed forward and sent a fist into his face. He grunted as he stumbled back and glared at Ryu.  
  
"Better then I thought you'd be." Ryu crossed his arms and shrugged.  
  
"What can I say? I've always been a quick learner. Sorry to disappoint you, but you're going to have to try a little harder." Sasuke grunted and smiled slightly.  
  
"I already am." Ryu turned just in time to meet Sasuke's fist. The blow connected with his jaw and sent him to the ground. It had been a clone, he had tricked him. Ryu rubbed his jaw with the back of his hand and smirked.  
  
"Quite a punch you've got there." Sasuke smiled at him, then growled and frowned when Ryu's form melted into the ground. A water clone.  
  
"Like I said, I'm a quick learner. This Chakra stuff is pretty cool; I've already made up a few techniques of my own. Of course, I saw this one in the manga." Sasuke's eyes darted through the foliage. If he was using a water clone, he had to be nearby.  
  
"Behind you!" Sakura screamed. Sasuke turned, but was too slow. Ryu sent his own fist into the back of Sasuke's head. He fell flat on his face and flipped back up to his feet. Ryu smirked.  
  
"Look at what I did. I got dirt on that pretty face of yours that all the girls seem to be crazy about, such a shame. Come on, get serious here Sasuke-boy. I coulda sworn you had said you wanted to avenge the death of your clan." Ryu scoffed.  
  
"Not with those sorry moves you won't." Sasuke pushed himself up to his knees and wiped the dirt off his face. Obviously the message had gotten through to him. Ryu was glad that he had succeeded in pissing him off. Now, he could see just how good he was compared to a real ninja. Sasuke jumped up to his feet and then spun, sending a roundhouse into the side of Ryu's face. The blow sent him sailing through the air. After a few seconds, he put one hand down and flipped onto his feet. It had caught him off guard, but now he was ready again. Ryu tossed a shuriken at Sasuke, just to see what he'd do. The young man caught it in his palm, blood trickling from his hand as one of the edges struck his palm.  
  
"You don't know anything about me or my motives! You'll pay for that remark." Ryu chuckled and wiped the blood running from his mouth.  
  
"Sure I will, come on Sasuke. Quit playing around already." Naruto looked between the two. There was no doubt the two were definitely ready to kill each other, or Sasuke was at least. Sasuke yelled as he ran at Ryu. Cold steel was thrust through Ryu's stomach. Blood flew from his mouth as he gagged. A smile crossed Sasuke's as he looked up at Ryu only to find himself looking at a log.  
  
"What!?" Ryu performed a number of seals in quick succession as he ran at lightning-fast speed and stopped behind Sasuke. He was amazed at himself that he had memorized the movements from the music video he had downloaded on his computer.  
  
"Thank god for Chop Suey." He laughed lightly as he finished the seals.  
  
"Water Prison no Jutsu!" Sasuke's eyes widened drastically as he was encased in a bubble of water. How was it possible? Could he be some kind of copycat? Or possibly possess the same Sharingan eye that both he and his sensei had? Kakashi looked over at Ryu, his eye portraying very little emotion.  
  
"Impressive, that's a high-level Jutsu. I never thought he'd have enough Chakra to pull off anything like that." Naruto looked over at him.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei, that's the same Jutsu Zabuza used on you!" Kakashi nodded. Without another word, he moved over to Sasuke and Ryu.  
  
"That's enough you two. It's obvious that Ryu has surpassed any of our original impressions. You can let him go now Ryu. I have a few questions to ask you if you don't mind." He nodded and released Sasuke from the bubble encasing him. Sasuke fell to his knees and growled at Ryu. His pride had just been badly bruised. Ryu understood why, he had just been beat by somebody who was not even a Genin and had no previous training.  
  
"Where did you learn that technique?" The question took Ryu's attention away from Sasuke.  
  
"Well, you're gonna think I'm crazy after I say this. I had seen it performed in a video that I saw. That worked really well for that guy, so I figured it might help me out. I've got a photographic memory; I've seen the video a lot of times too." Kakashi nodded. Though as odd as it sounded, he knew nothing about where Ryu was from or where he may have seen such a video.  
  
"You just got lucky." Sasuke mumbled as he stood.  
  
"Care to try again if you think you can do any better?"  
  
"That's enough." Ryu looked at Kakashi, as did Sasuke.  
  
"We have more important things to worry about then individual vendettas. Now, Ryu, do you think you are ready for the mission? If not, we will have to continue the training." Ryu shrugged. He looked over at Sakura, who seemed to be angry for reasons unknown to him.  
  
"As ready as I can be. I mean, I'm miles from home and my best friend's missing. But no, that's nothing out of the normal."  
  
"Naruto." Kakashi called, and he ran over to them. Ryu grinned at him and he smirked in return. Naruto didn't seem to have a problem with the upset he had caused.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei?" He stood, waiting for his instructions.  
  
"I want you to take Ryu with you to your house. You have enough room for him to stay don't you?" Naruto nodded.  
  
"Of course, are we not starting the mission tonight?" Kakashi shook his head.  
  
"No, we will be leaving early tomorrow morning. I want you all to meet at this spot at five tomorrow morning, alright?" Naruto and Ryu both nodded, and smiled in response. Sasuke grunted and Sakura nodded.  
  
"Then that's it, dismissed for today."  
  
*************  
  
"So Ryu, just what do you do for a living?" Ryu looked over at Naruto. They were still at least a block from his home if what he said was true.  
  
"I'm a high school student. I don't have a living to make. But, I plan on starting a band once I get out of school. What about you? Well, not what you do for a living, but what you want to do?" Naruto placed his hands behind his head and looked up into the sky.  
  
"One of these days I plan on becoming Hogake. I know it's quite a hard goal to achieve, but I'll do it. And I won't take any shortcuts to do it either. What I do for a living, I eat ramen." Ryu gave him an awkward glance and shrugged.  
  
"To each his own I guess." Naruto stopped as his foot collided with a square-shaped rock with two beady looking "eye sockets" in it. The rock followed close behind Naruto as he continued walking. Naruto looked behind him and picked up speed, running up and down the street before finally stopping and staring at the rock again.  
  
"Hey Konohamaru! What do you think you're doing here?"  
  
"I should have expected that from the man I look up to. Good job detecting me." The rock lit up and exploded in a huge ball of fire. Ryu wiped ash off his face and blinked in disbelief at what was happening. It was invasion of the midgets. The three children that had been underneath the very unrealistic rock coughed.  
  
"We used too much gunpowder again." The one in the middle, Konohamaru he presumed, said as he stood up. The odd looking little girl was the first to speak.  
  
"The one who posses the sex appeal of an adult, and the female ninja from the senior group, Moegi." Next was the young boy with the glasses.  
  
"The one who loves dividing numbers, Udon." Finally came Konohamaru.  
  
"The village's number one genius ninja, Konohamaru!" The three finished there self-introduction in unison.  
  
"The three of us make.the Konohamaru Corps!" Ryu blinked again. He refused to believe these kids were serious. Konohamaru looked up at Ryu, then at Naruto.  
  
"What do you three want?" Naruto asked, his eyes closed.  
  
"Who's this guy? Is he your new apprentice?" Ryu laughed.  
  
"That's funny kid. No, I'm the new number one ninja around here." Naruto gave him an evil glare and Konohamaru looked wide-eyed at him.  
  
"Really? But that means you must have beat up Naruto!" He shook his head.  
  
"No, I just made a fool out of Sasuke." Moegi inhaled sharply.  
  
"What? Nobody can beat Sasuke!" Naruto was still glaring at Ryu and was beginning to make him nervous.  
  
"Well sorry kids, but we've got to be going. Me and Naruto have a real important mission tomorrow and need to rest up." He waved as he ran down the street dragging Naruto after him.  
  
************  
  
"Do you ever stop playing that stupid thing!" Ryu looked up from his guitar, giving Naruto a lethal glare. Naruto was lying in bed trying to get to bed, Ryu was playing "Crazy Train".  
  
"Not unless I'm tired. If you don't like it, invest in some earplugs." Naruto sat up in his bed and looked down at the floor where Ryu was sitting.  
  
"Ryu, we have a very important mission ahead of us and no idea where we'll be going for us. So, we may not end up getting to sleep again in a while. We should sleep while we have the opportunity." Ryu sighed in exasperation and put his guitar up.  
  
"I guess you're right. Let me ask you something Naruto." He nodded.  
  
"What?" Ryu leaned back and laid himself out on the floor.  
  
"You've had a real hard life. I know how it is. I myself don't have much of a family. I mean, my mom's dead and my dad's in prison for murder." He smirked and chuckled.  
  
"Hell, that's probably the reason I shut myself off from the world and concentrate on my guitar so much. But anyway, how is it you handle being alone?" Naruto sighed before answering.  
  
"It's hard. I used to just go around pulling pranks to get attention. I'm past that now though. I've got Sasuke and Sakura behind me. They may not act like my friends, but they both respect me. And Iruka-sensei also cares about me a lot. Maybe if you're still around after we get done with this mission, I can bring you along with me and him to have some ramen." Ryu smiled and looked up at the darkened ceiling.  
  
"That sounds like a good deal. And Naruto?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I hope you achieve your dream of become Hogake. I'll support you all the way. I don't really know any of you guys, but I feel like I have a strong connection with you all. It's weird, I can't explain it. Who knows, maybe I can even befriend you guys. Because aside from my best friend, Yugo, I have very few friends due to the way I've grown up. And another thing." Naruto rolled his eyes.  
  
"What now?" Ryu smirked, wondering just how Naruto would respond to the question.  
  
"What do you think the chances are of Hinata taking a liking to me? 'Cause you know, she is pretty cute, in that shy girl kinda way. And those pale eyes just complete the whole thing." Silence was the only response he got. Naruto had ignored the question and fallen asleep.  
  
"I figured you'd say something like that." He smiled before falling asleep himself. 


	3. Ch 3, Where is Kakashi? The Beginning of...

Ch. 3 - Where is Kakashi? The Beginning of the Chuunin Exam!  
  
*Yeah, my own take on how I think the exam shoulda been (still intact for the most part, but I'm doing things my way, storyline and all); maybe this is just because I'm in the middle of exams.. But if the Chuunin exam is to begin, what will Ryu do? He can't very well test on his own. He can't very well test without being a Genin either! This of course also means the other Genins will be arriving, guess who immediately pisses off Ryu. And what about the mission? Read on, all this and more will be answered!  
  
**************************************************************  
  
"Damn, we've been here for almost three hours! What the hell could he possibly be doing!" Ryu growled as sat down and pulled out his guitar. A few moments later, the soothing melody (soothing to him anyway) of "Evil Ways" was drifting through the air. He even began to sing the song. If anybody wanted to protest, they didn't.  
  
"You got to change your evil ways, baby. Before I stop lovin' you; you got to change-" He stopped as he heard rustling in the nearby bushes and turned his head to see what it was. Naruto emerged from the bushes scratching the back of his head and smiling like an idiot.  
  
"I had to go to the bathroom." Sakura growled, walked over to him, and hit him over the head hard. He groaned and rubbed his head.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"We didn't need to know where you went or why! We've got more important things to do!" Sasuke smirked at them, and Ryu looked over at him.  
  
"What're you smiling about? You like seeing those two at each other's throats."  
  
"They're children." They both turned when they heard a voice from behind them. There stood a very pale young man with short, brownish red hair. On his back he wore a large pot, and he had some kind of symbol drawn on his forehead.  
  
"No worse than you, I'm sure." Sasuke smirked as he took a step forward, but cried out in surprise when Ryu pushed him out of the way. He toppled to the ground as Ryu glared daggers into the mysterious young man.  
  
"What's your problem?" Ryu grunted in response to his question.  
  
"You. Why don't you get lost? It's not like anybody invited you to join us." Sasuke looked wide-eyed at the young man. He had sneaked up on them without making a sound and none of them had sensed his arrival, not even him!  
  
"Ryu, don't-"  
  
"Shut up!" He spat back at Sasuke. He was having one of his bad feelings; this guy in front of him was definitely up to no good. The dark presence permeating from his body further proved that. Ryu himself was no saint, but he was certain this guy would not hesitate to kill them all. And he couldn't allow that.  
  
"Get lost before something bad happens." He hissed through gritted teeth. The young man just glared at him with his pale green eyes. Taking the brief stand-off to his advantage, Ryu quickly placed his guitar back in the case and slung it onto his back.  
  
"If there's one thing I hate its guys like you who act like they're better than everybody else, which is exactly what you're doing. And anybody ever told you just how unpleasant it is to look at your eyes? Bug off already!"  
  
"Shut up." The young man said calmly, his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze unwavering. Ryu took in a surprised breath and growled at him.  
  
"Why don't you make me!" Without a second's warning Ryu leapt at him and spun, sending the back of his fist towards his face. His fist contacted solidly with the young man's palm. Stunned, Ryu jumped away and growled again.  
  
"Idiot, I'll kill you." The mysterious opponent raised one hand and sand particles began to levitate above his palm.  
  
"Gaara, please stop. We don't want to get in trouble so soon!" He looked back at the blonde haired young woman, taking his eyes off Ryu to do so.  
  
"Shut up, he started this." She backed away, not wanting to protest any further in fear of her own life.  
  
"Yeah, you should probably listen to her. That was only a warning shot, next time you won't be so lucky." Gaara turned back to him. Ryu fell back in response to his icy gaze.  
  
"That's enough from all of you." Kakashi commanded as he appeared between the two, his eye immediately falling on Gaara and the other two behind him.  
  
"So, you three are from the Village of Sand. Leave, the exam has not yet started." Gaara glared at him, but did as he said. The three Sand Genins left as quickly as they had come.  
  
"You're late." Ryu grumbled and crossed his arms. Kakashi closed his eye and his mask seemed to tug upward in a smile.  
  
"I got lost." Ryu almost fell over at the response. He took a step forward and looked Kakashi squarely in the eye.  
  
"How the hell do you get lost in your own village!" Kakashi rolled his eye.  
  
"Look, I don't have to answer to you anyway since I'm the teacher here. Anyway, the mission is being held off for the time being." Naruto pulled away from Sakura, who was busy pummeling him, and yelled at him.  
  
"What! You can't just postpone the mission!" He closed his eye and nodded at Naruto.  
  
"Yes I can, and I have. We have more important things to worry about."  
  
"Like what?" Ryu asked as he stepped away from Kakashi. He opened his eye again and answered.  
  
"The Chuunin Exam." The answer caused Naruto to begin jumping up and down like a child in a candy store.  
  
"The Chuunin Exam!" Sakura looked over at him, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Do you even know what that is, idiot?" He scratched his cheek as he thought about it. Naruto stopped jumping and shrugged.  
  
"I dunno, but it must be important if we're postponing the mission for it." She sighed in exasperation before turning her attention to Kakashi.  
  
"Did you really sign us up for the exam?" A nod was her only response. Sasuke smirked as he pulled himself back up to his feet.  
  
"When does it start?"  
  
"Tomorrow morning at the school. Third floor." He nodded and began to leave.  
  
"Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Without a word he continued walking. Ryu placed a hand on her shoulder and almost jumped back when she pulled her fist up to hit him, thinking it was Naruto.  
  
"You shouldn't worry yourself so much about Sasuke. It's not healthy. Besides, you should probably get ready for this exam, you guys are gonna need to be ready for it." Naruto blinked twice at him then looked at Kakashi.  
  
"Sensei, what about Ryu? He's not a Genin, so he can't enter the exam."  
  
"Don't worry, you and Sakura run along while I have a word with him," The two complied, leaving Ryu and Kakashi alone. It was a solid two minutes before either spoke, they both just glared at each other.  
  
"Look, I don't know what you have planned, but I don't need to take any damn exam. I don't plan on sticking around that long, I'm gonna find Yugo and I'm gone." He nodded at his answer.  
  
"That is understandable. However, this is the mission." Shocked, Ryu's eyes shot open.  
  
"What? But you just told the others it was postponed." He nodded.  
  
"Yes, because I can't let them know. I said you were important to this mission, and this is why. Our informants have told us that the target is entering the tournament. We need a spy to find him and track his progress through the tournament. Of course, only Genins will be allowed to enter the exam, we've already worked that out as well." Kakashi pulled a headband like the one the others wore from his pouch and handed it to Ryu. Ryu looked it over before securing it on his forehead with the plate facing sideways (a la Zabuza).  
  
"It has also been taken into account that you need a team to enter with. This is also taken care of." He turned his head and nodded as a young man and woman stepped into view. The girl introduced herself as Lina and the boy as Gado. Lina was an attractive young woman, short white hair that reminded him for a moment of Yugo's, red eyes, and a devilish smile on her face. The shirt she wore beneath her over-shirt was form fitting, as were her shorts. Gado looked to be the type that was all business; buff, pants that had been torn down into shorts, and a gray vest. His hair was orange and very short, his eyes a dark green. Neither of them was informed as to why they were joining with him, all they knew was that he was replacing their deceased leader.  
  
"These two will be your teammates, you have all the rest of the day to become acquainted and learn each other's strengths and weaknesses. You may not like it, but teamwork is the key to your survival in this. Use what little time you have wisely, I will leave you to train for the rest of the day." Kakashi vanished in the split second Ryu had looked away from him.  
  
"Now that you two have introduced yourselves I'll do the same. I'm Ryu Tanabe, heard of me? I didn't think so. Anyway, like it or not, we're stuck working together. So let's all do our best to pull through this and 'win one for the team' so to speak." Lina raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.  
  
"Is that your introduction speech?" He shrugged. Gado grunted but otherwise stayed silent. His mind was quickly changed when Ryu gave him a menacing glare.  
  
"I could kill you without blinking, so I suggest you act a bit more like a team player Gado. If you won't, me and Lina will gun it without you." A growled escaped his throat and he nodded reluctantly. Like it or not, he was stuck with Ryu. Even worse, he had to take orders from him.  
  
"This is how I operate, usually its stay outta my way or face the consequences. But, as Kakashi-sensei put it, we have to work as a team to make it through. Therefore, I will not be dictating orders to you guys. Instead, we'll do this as a team, as it should be right?" Lina nodded.  
  
"That sounds good, Ryu. Where should we start?" Ryu sat down and thought about that.  
  
"Let's get to know each other a little better. You know, tell each other our hobbies and stuff. I'll start. My name is Ryu Tanabe, I enjoy playing guitar and keeping to myself. I have a serious dislike for people who believe they are superior to me and I like to be around outgoing people like Naruto, weird I know. I also have an attraction to quiet girls, not that you'd care about that Lina. My goal in life is to start a band, if that doesn't work, oh well." Lina smiled at him and pushed her hair behind her ear.  
  
"Quite a lengthy introduction you have there. I guess I'm next. I'm Lina and my last name is not any of your business. I have a severe dislike for Sasuke and Naruto. They are both full of themselves. I enjoy spending my time reading or practicing my Jutsus. One day, I would like to have children and raise them to become the top ninja's of the village." Ryu nodded. The part that stuck with him the most was her dislike for Sasuke. He felt the same, but for other reasons. More of a friendly rivalry, in his eyes anyway. They both turned to Gado and he reluctantly gave a short and sweet reply.  
  
"I'm Gado, I hate having to take this Chuunin Exam and I don't like much of anything. My dream is to become a powerful shinobi so I can put people like you in their place." Ryu raised an eyebrow and smirked.  
  
"A little bit of hostility I see. No matter, we can work around that. Now, we should get to work. Both of you are more than a little familiar with how to use your Chakra I hope." They both nodded.  
  
"Good, how about we start out with some stealth exercises then? I'll be the target, both of you try to sneak up behind me and take this from me." He held up the pick for his guitar, which he never used, and placed it in the back pocket of his pants. A grin crossed his features, he was certain neither of them were good enough to do that.  
  
"Easy enough." His grin faded as he turned around to see Lina smiling at him and holding the pick in her hand. Perhaps they weren't half bad.  
  
**************  
  
The rest of the day went well, the three eventually became able to predict the attacks their teammates would use and in what situation. Likewise, they became able to pick up on subtle signals, such as when to attack and when to hold position, by moving their eyes just slightly. Leaps and bounds, which was how quickly they had improved and become a decent team. The sun slowly slipped over the mountains and Ryu called the other two in from their individual practice.  
  
"I'd say we did well today, and I'll see you both bright and early tomorrow morning. If I don't, the one who doesn't show up on time gets a very severe punishment. Got it?" They both nodded before going their separate directions. Ryu had never worked that fast, he was surprised he had gained their trust in only a day's span. Trying to be a leader when your teammates hate you is not pretty. Amazing, here he was a completely anti-social person. Yet, he was a natural leader. A yawn escaped him as he stretched and slowly began his trek back into Konoha to get some sleep. These kinds of thoughts could be put off for now, the Chuunin Exam awaited, as did his target. How he was supposed to know who his target was would be impossible to find out alone, perhaps. He would ask Kakashi after the first exam; sleep came first. 


	4. Ch 4, What? This Exam is Insane!

Ch. 4 - What!? This Test is Insane!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Time was running out. Kakashi had specifically told them all to be here early, but Ryu had overslept and now found himself weaving through the streets to find the school that he had never been to. Finally, after almost twenty minutes of searching he found the place. He quickly ran inside and up to the third floor. As Ryu entered, he saw one of the older Genins, a young man with long white hair fall to his knees and vomit.  
  
"What the hell?" He mumbled to himself as he cautiously entered and closed the door behind him. His teammates were already there, he asked both of them if they were ready for whatever came next before turning back to the young man on the floor. Sakura had called him Kabuto. In front of Kabuto stood three other ninjas that looked to be wearing a gray shade of camouflage. The girl on his right gave him a quick glance as he took a seat. That was when the examiners arrived.  
  
"Well, it appears that everybody is here now. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I will be giving you the first part of this year's Chuunin Exam. My name is Morino Ibiki." Ryu looked up from his seat on the long table. The man administering the first part of the exam looked intimidating. He wore his headgear in a way that covered his scalp. His attire consisted of the same drab gray all the other examiners wore, but he wore a long black trench coat over it.  
  
**********  
  
It was for sure, this exam was insane. Ibiki had quickly seated everybody by numbers, Ryu was 134. The examiner went through the rules quickly and without accepting questions just as he said. He had put a strong emphasis on not cheating, but after looking over the test Ryu was certain that cheating was the only way to pass the test. He didn't understand a single question, the only one he might have known was a question concerning parabolas but only then if he hadn't failed math. Before beginning Ryu looked through the other Genins to find Lina and Gado. Both of them were on the same row, two in front of him. Lina had already started, and he had no clue what Gado was doing. He wondered briefly how Naruto was doing. Naruto was a nice guy, but not exceptionally bright. Hinata was sitting beside Naruto; he smirked and wished for a second he could switch places. It would have certainly made for somebody to talk to at least. Besides, Naruto didn't seem to care about her. Ryu certainly felt he could care for her if she gave him the chance. He snapped out of it, he had a mission to take care of right now. It didn't consist of daydreaming or failing this exam, so he had to work fast. There were still thirty minutes before Ibiki would give out the final question, and he wanted to be done with the others before that time.  
  
"Number thirty-four fails. Numbers three and one-hundred-and-five also fail. Leave." The young man that had been caught stood up and cried out in protest as his teammates pulled him out of the room behind them.  
  
"This isn't looking too good. I hope Lina and Gado both catch on to what's going on. I can't afford to fail." The guy sitting next to him glanced at his blank exam and then looked back at his own after grunting. Ryu smirked; this would be easy.  
  
"What an idiot, you'll never get those answers." The guy mumbled and glanced back at him. To his amazement, Ryu's test was completed. And Ryu had never moved an inch! Ryu sighed and kicked back in his seat, now he just had to wait for the final question.  
  
************  
  
"Oh no, what do I do!" Naruto screamed to himself. His mind was a complete blank, he didn't know any of these questions and if he didn't figure something out Sakura and Sasuke would both fail along with him! He couldn't let that happen.  
  
"Naruto-kun?" The quiet voice of Hinata drifted to his ears and brought him out of his anxiety attack.  
  
"I'll show you my test." He looked at her a little closer as she slid her paper beneath her arm so he could see it. What was she trying to say? Why would she help him? Or maybe she was trying to trick him so that he would fail the exam.  
  
"Hinata, why are you going to show me?" Her cheeks were red as she stuttered and fumbled the words out of her mouth.  
  
"Well.I.I don't want you to disappear at a place like this." She looked away from him for a moment and started to explain a bit more thoroughly.  
  
"You know, the nine of us are the only rookies. And there will be uncertainties in the future, so." He smiled at her.  
  
"I see. So I doubted you for no reason." Her gaze dropped to the table as he closed his eyes and thought about the proposal. Naruto was still thinking it over when a kunai was thrown past his head and stuck into the paper of the Genin sitting behind him; another team was called out and left. Hinata slid the paper over further.  
  
"Naruto-kun? Hurry, look." He looked away from her paper and smirked.  
  
"Hinata, you don't understand do you? A great ninja like me doesn't cheat." She glanced at his paper.  
  
"Naruto-kun.but." He opened his eyes and looked at her.  
  
"Also, you might get in trouble for aiding in the cheating." She gasped as she looked into his eyes and her face turned a deeper red.  
  
"I'm sorry, I did something unnecessary." She said as she looked back at her paper. Now, Naruto was mentally kicking himself for not taking the risk. He'd have to put everything on the line for this last question. It was only five minutes away now. Then, the kid from earlier, the one with Gaara stood and left to use the bathroom. An odd request.  
  
************  
  
"Ok, we will now begin the tenth question!"  
  
"Huh?" Ryu leaned forward in his seat and looked up at Ibiki. About time. Ibiki walked over to a window and looked over his shoulder at the Genins.  
  
"These are.the rules of the desperation." Ryu raised an eyebrow. What the hell was this? Rules of desperation? He had already answered the other nine questions, how desperate could he be for another?  
  
"First, you must, for this tenth question, decide whether or not to take it." The girl from Gaara's team spoke up.  
  
"Choose! What happens if we choose not to take it?"  
  
"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero, so you'll fail. Along with your teammates." Ryu felt the sense of worry and surprise sweep through the other Genins. This guy was good at putting the pressure on people. No problem though, if he missed one he hoped that at least one of the other nine were right.  
  
"And now, the other rule." Ryu's eyes shot open. Another rule? Wasn't that one bad enough?  
  
"Anyone who chooses to take it, but answers it incorrectly.that person will lose the right to take the Chuunin Selection Exam ever again!" Kiba stood up and pointed at Ibiki.  
  
"What kind of stupid rule is that!? There are people here who have taken the exam many times before!" Ibiki chuckled.  
  
"You guys were unlucky, this year it's my rules. But I'm giving you a way out." Kiba took a step back. His dog, Akamaru was still motionless atop his head. It amazed Ryu that his dog was that loyal.  
  
"Those who aren't confident can choose not to take it, and can try again next year." Talk about crazy, either choice was a bad choice. But Ryu didn't have time or patience to wait for the next exam. He'd have to risk it for the sake of the mission. Now that his decision was final, he only had to hope that Lina and Gado wouldn't give in to Ibiki's twisted rules either.  
  
************  
  
Beads of sweat trickled down Naruto's face. This was bad, he couldn't afford to be a Genin for life, but he couldn't ruin this for Sasuke and Sakura either. What now! What kind of question could it be? Hinata looked over at him; she seemed to be genuinely concerned. He was a nervous wreck, he couldn't even stop shaking. The decision had to be made, and fast. If he didn't take the question, Sasuke and Sakura would be angry with him. But if he took it and got it wrong, he'd be stuck as a Genin.  
  
"Now, let's begin." Naruto looked wide-eyed at Ibiki. It was too much, but he had to choose now.  
  
"If you do not wish to take the tenth question raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave." The man beside Naruto raised his hand, stood up, and left. One by one, the others started to leave.  
  
************  
  
Sakura had to do it; she had to raise her hand for Naruto's sake. It pained her to think of about Naruto losing his chance to ever become Hokage, although she knew it was a crazy idea to begin with. For his own good, she had to do it. Before she could raise her hand though, Naruto's trembling palm was slowly raised.  
  
************  
  
"No way!" Ryu watched as Naruto raised his hand. It was hard to believe a guy like Naruto would be giving up. The final question had reduced Ryu's row to nothing; he was the only one left. Not surprising, they had all been crackpots anyway, but Naruto. Luckily, Lina and Gado had both seen this through; neither of them looked ready to give up. He guessed it was for his own good, Naruto obviously wasn't ready for this exam anyway. Then, Naruto did something a bit more expected.  
  
************  
  
Naruto pulled his eyes open and slammed his palm back down onto the desk.  
  
"Don't underestimate me! I ain't running away! I'll take it, even if I'm a Genin forever! I've willed myself to becoming Hokage anyway, so I don't care. I'm not afraid!" By the end of his ranting, Naruto was on his feet and dropped back to his seat. Hinata was smiling brightly at him as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.  
  
************  
  
"I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."  
  
"I don't go back on my word. That's my ninja way!" Ryu looked over at Naruto. The kid had guts; that was about all he had. There was no point in Ibiki drawing this out any longer. Naruto had inspired everybody else to stay, and he obviously realized that. Dragging it out any longer would only waste precious time. The other examiners nodded at Ibiki and he nodded in response.  
  
"Good decisions. Now, to everyone still remaining.the first test.I congratulate you on passing!" Again, surprise swept over the students. That was it? What about the question? As he explained, the decision had been the question. But, it was more a question to test their mettle then their knowledge. Ryu didn't hear much after that; he dozed off until the sound of glass shattering woke him up. Great, another crazy examiner. The ball of cloth that had crashed through the window was unfolded and pinned to the floor and ceiling by well placed kunai.  
  
"Wh.what the!?" Naruto cried as he stared bug eyed at the woman who had just revealed herself.  
  
"You guys, this is no time to be celebrating!" She was wearing some kind of weird outfit Ryu had never seen in his life with a tan coat over it and a pair of guards on her shins. She threw one hand out of her pocket, and that was when Ryu noticed the text on the cloth.  
  
"I am the examiner for the second test, Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go, follow me!" Ibiki looked out from behind the cloth at her.  
  
"Bad timing." She glared at Ibiki and Ryu smirked. She acted a little like Naruto. Anko looked back over the students.  
  
"Ibiki, You left twenty-six teams!? The first test was too easy this year." He shook his head.  
  
"No, we just have a lot of outstanding students this year." She grunted.  
  
"That's fine. I'll cut them down to half or less." Ryu crossed his arms and leaned back again. Who was she trying to impress? Or intimidate as the case may be. Ibiki had been much more frightening.  
  
"I'll explain everything tomorrow after we change places. Ask your Jounin sensei for the time and place. That's it, you're excused." Ryu stood and waited for his teammates at the exit. Gado nodded at him and Lina smiled in greetings. Ryu smirked.  
  
"I thought for sure you guys woulda chickened out and quit." He turned and walked with them as they left the building.  
  
"Yeah right, maybe you but not us." Gado replied.  
  
"Ryu, from what Kakashi told us, you have had no previous training. How could you have possibly passed the test?" Lina asked, genuinely surprised. Ryu smirked again.  
  
"Easy actually, I just scribbled down answers that sounded right." They both gave him that, "you're kidding" look. He laughed.  
  
"Yeah, when all else fails, guess." He turned to leave, throwing them a glance over his shoulder.  
  
"Well I'm tired. I'm gonna go get some sleep."  
  
"At noon?" Lina questioned, he nodded.  
  
"I didn't get much sleep last night. Besides, you guys should worry about the upcoming test. We don't know what's in store, and should probably prepared. I'll be preparing too, I'm going to go ask Kakashi if he can tell me anything helpful." He raised a hand in a farewell gesture. Now it was time to find the copy ninja and get some answers. Why the hell was he the one put on this mission? Whatever, Ryu figured he'd find out in time. After spending an hour looking for Kakashi he gave up and headed to Naruto's to sleep. He could rub it in Sasuke's face that he passed tomorrow. 


	5. Ch 5, Trouble The Dangers of The Forest ...

Ch. 5 - Trouble. The Dangers of the Forest of Death.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"Kakashi, we need to talk!" Ryu shouted as he threw the door open to the lounge that Kakashi was sitting in along with two other Jounins, neither of which he knew. The lazy eye went to stare at Ryu as he walked over to Kakashi.  
  
"What?" Ryu almost hit him for the remark.  
  
"You know what you idiot! You send me on a mission to watch somebody in this exam and you don't even bother to tell me who I'm watching. Not knowing why I can live with, but not this. So either you tell me who I'm supposed to be watching or I'm outta here." Kakashi rolled his eye at him.  
  
"Look, obviously I didn't tell you because you'll know soon enough. Don't worry about it and hurry over to the practice arena 44." Ryu raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"The next test idiot, now go." Ryu growled at him but did as he said. If Kakashi felt the target would show himself soon enough, he'd believe him. For now anyway.  
  
"The kid seems to have a serious problem with authority. Who is he Kakashi?" Kakashi looked over at the woman.  
  
"Some kid, it doesn't really matter. He doesn't have any intentions of staying once he gets done with this mission, so it's not important. If he did though, he could become a great ninja." She smirked.  
  
"Kakashi, you aren't planning anything underhanded to keep him around are you?" He looked at her before pulling out his book.  
  
"Do you honestly think I would do something like that?" She smiled.  
  
"You? Of course not." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but he ignored her and continued to read.  
  
**********  
  
"It's good to see you're all here, welcome to practice arena 44." Anko looked over the group of students, some looked tired, others looked eager, and some didn't look like they really cared.  
  
"Also known as the Forest of Death." Ryu's eyes shot open, something that he was beginning to get accustomed to doing. Surprises seemed to be everywhere in this place. He didn't believe it, the Forest of Death was what Yugo had been looking for before he was kidnapped! Was there some kind of connection?  
  
"But that's impossible, the place doesn't exist!" Anko looked at him with a hint of amusement on her features.  
  
"You're looking at it, so obviously it does." She continued to go over the rules of this test, but Ryu didn't really pay attention. He was too busy looking through the students to see if he could find his target to listen. Then, a kunai flew past his arm, ripping the sleeve of his shirt and bringing his attention back to Anko.  
  
"Do you believe you don't have to listen? That you're above the others here?" He grunted and ripped off the ruined sleeve of his shirt, leaving the other in place. He now had one arm exposed and the other still hidden beneath the long sleeve on his left.  
  
"I've got better things to do then listen to you ramble." She gritted her teeth and snarled at him.  
  
"Look, you aren't any better then the others here! In fact, you're trash compared to them. A true ninja listens when being given orders." He rolled his eyes at her.  
  
"I'm not here to become a ninja lady, so just shove it." Her pupils seemed to vanish as she glared at him. Before he knew what was going on, she had him pinned to a tree and a kunai at his throat. Ryu smirked as he looked at her, not impressed in the slightest.  
  
"Who are you trying to scare with that little toy?" Anko slid it across his throat, cutting him slightly and smirking at the blood that flowed from the wound.  
  
"I love the sight of blood." He rolled his eyes again.  
  
"Yeah, you went over that when you cut Naruto." She smiled.  
  
"So you were listening."  
  
"No, just caught my attention when that long tongued guy returned your weapon to you." She tried to act like the statement didn't get to her. She ignored him and threw Ryu to the ground.  
  
"Get out of here; we've got thirty minutes until the test begins." He stood and dusted himself off before moving off to find something to do.  
  
"A wound?" Ryu looked over to his left as he heard the soft voice. As he did so, he saw Hinata looking down at the small cylinder in her hands, genuinely depressed. It seemed Naruto had just blown her off again.  
  
"Hinata?" She looked up at him.  
  
"Do I know you?" He scratched the back of his head and grinned.  
  
"Well, no. But I know who you are, kinda. Anyway, are you ready for this exam?" She stuttered for a moment and seemed to be deciding whether or not to talk to him. Out of respect, she decided it was best to talk to him.  
  
"Well, I hope I am. I'm going to do my best, I don't want to let down Shino-kun and Kiba-kun." He smirked.  
  
"You'll do fine. I'm sure you're an excellent ninja." She blushed.  
  
"Well, I don't know about that."  
  
"You just need to believe a bit more in yourself is all. You don't give yourself as much credit as you deserve. But then again, I don't have any room to speak where you're concerned. Sorry, I'm butting into other people's business again." She smiled shyly at him.  
  
"It's okay, thank you." He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Thanks? For what?"  
  
"For believing in me. I may not know you, but you seem like a nice person." He extended a palm in greeting.  
  
"Sorry, this should have been the first thing I did. I'm Ryu." She accepted his hand.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryu-kun." He looked at the small cylinder in her hand.  
  
"What's that for?" She looked at the cylinder and then back at him.  
  
"For treating wounds, why do you ask?" He shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Just curious." She looked at his neck and noticed the long cut on it.  
  
"You're hurt. Do you need me to treat that for you?" Ryu shook his head.  
  
"No thanks, I'll live. It was great meeting you Hinata; hope to see you again sometime." He waved as he turned and walked off to find his teammates.  
  
**********  
  
"That was really stupid Ryu, making that huge scene with the examiner like you did." He shrugged at Lina's statement.  
  
"Like I care? What's she gonna do to me?" He looked at her.  
  
"I just have a real problem listening to adults. They've never been there for me, ya know? So I don't feel I have a reason to listen to them. And they think they're superior to me, when they aren't. They're older, big deal; doesn't make 'em any wiser." Gado glanced over at him.  
  
"Whatever, just don't get us thrown out because of it."  
  
*********  
  
"So what's the plan?" Ryu continued to survey the forest around them. He had put Gado in charge of their scroll, the Scroll of Heaven. All the teams had entered through different entrances. His immediate plan was to go out and look for the other teams alone. If he found one he'd come back to get the others so they could set a trap.  
  
"I'm going to go scout. You guys wait here; keep moving if I'm not back in an hour." He checked that his guitar was still strapped to his back.  
  
"Don't you think it was a little stupid to bring that Ryu?" He shook his head at Lina's question.  
  
"This thing is good for more than making music. Trust me, it'll be a big help when I need it to be. Anyway, I'm off. Good luck you guys, and stay out of trouble." They both nodded in acknowledgement before he leapt up into the branches overhead and took off deeper into the woods. With the speed he was traveling at, covering ground was easy and fast.  
  
"Who's there?" Ryu stopped, planting his feet firmly on the nearest tree and holding himself in place with his Chakra. He looked down onto the ground to see three people standing in a clearing. His eyes narrowed when he saw that the one in the middle was Gaara, the young man now wore a large pot on his back. Feeling there was nothing to fear Ryu jumped down landing right in front of him. The other two, Konkuro and Temari, both glared at him. Gaara acted as if nobody was there.  
  
"Hey, what the hell's your problem? You wanted to know who was there so here I am." Gaara's eye then moved to him. Ryu took a step back, those eyes looked dangerous.  
  
"Where is your Scroll of Heaven? Tell me, and maybe I'll let you live." Ryu grunted before shoving his hands in his pockets. There was nothing Gaara could say that would make him cough up the information. He smirked.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know? Maybe I have it, maybe I don't. Either way you won't find out unless you can beat me. Then maybe I'll consider telling you." Gaara almost smirked, but not quite.  
  
"If you want to die, then that's fine by me." Ryu crouched down slightly and pulled a kunai from the pouch on his leg.  
  
"Only person around here that's gonna die is you!" He tossed the kunai and growled when it barely skinned Gaara's cheek. The other two were silent and stayed back, why Ryu did not know. Gaara didn't even move to attack Ryu; he only stood in place glaring at him. Was there something wrong with him? Perhaps he was paralyzed. Not waiting for a reaction, Ryu jumped into the air, planted his feet on a tree and kicked off it towards Gaara, sending a straight kick aimed right for Gaara's face. At the last second, Gaara jerked his head to the side and brought a fist up into Ryu's gut as he flew past. Ryu groaned; flying back from the blow and landing at the base of the tree he had just kicked off of.  
  
"Damn, I wasn't expecting that." He pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around him as he felt the ground shifting. But the ground wasn't shifting, it was encasing him. It was sand, and the realization of just what was happening struck him. Gaara was going to encase him in sand! Not wanting to end the fight so soon, Ryu pulled himself free and leapt into the tree.  
  
"Nice try freak, but you'll have to do better then that!" He spat as he threw four shurikens at Gaara. None of them hit their target, because Gaara created a protective shell around himself; the shell was nothing but sand. Whatever Ryu had just gotten himself into, he had a feeling it would only end bad for him.  
  
*********  
  
"What is it Akamaru?" Hinata looked at Kiba. Akamaru was acting very strange, like something dangerous was close by. They had already bagged their second scroll and now they only needed to get to the tower.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Kiba-kun? Is Akamaru okay?" Kiba looked at her and pulled Akamaru off his head, holding him in his arms as Shino and Hinata petted him.  
  
"There's somebody very strong close by, we should probably be careful. Hinata, can you check it out?" She stood up straight, nodded, and formed a seal with her palms as she closed her eyes.  
  
"Alright, Byakugan!" She opened her eyes again and an outline of her pupils that didn't seem to exist appeared. Her ability allowed her to look through the foliage and saw a young man with a large gourd on his back.  
  
"There's somebody over there." Shino put his ear to the tree they were standing on.  
  
"It sounds like four people." Kiba smirked.  
  
"Alright, let's go check it out!" Shino stood back up.  
  
"Kiba, we can't do that. Have you lost your mind?" Kiba grunted a response.  
  
"The examiner told us to get a Scroll of Earth and a Scroll of Heaven. All we're doing is checking it out. If it looks too dangerous we'll leave." Hinata noticed somebody standing in front of Gaara, but Kiba snapped her out of the trance state before she could get a good look at him.  
  
"Come on Hinata, let's go." Shino and Kiba had already taken off by the time she followed after them.  
  
**********  
  
"Dammit!" Ryu hissed as Gaara finally caught him inside the sand casing and raised him into the air.  
  
"Is that all you've got? I was expecting more of a challenge from how you talked. Desert Funeral!" Ryu winced in pain as the sand began to put tremendous pressure on his chest, and then crushed him. Gaara looked up as the sand exploded everywhere. To his surprise though, blood did not rain down with it; only water.  
  
"A water clone!" Konkuro exclaimed as they all three looked up to see Ryu standing in a nearby tree. Ryu smirked down at them, Gaara in particular.  
  
"So that's how your attack works, well now that I've seen it there is very little chance of me falling victim to it." He leapt down from the tree branch and landed a few paces away from Gaara.  
  
"Now, let's get down to business." Ryu performed a number of seals with his palms and chuckled softly.  
  
"Katon Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Flames flew from Ryu's palm as he held his hand up to his mouth and blew into it. The fire quickly engulfed Gaara and the ground around him. After what he felt was long enough, he let the flame die and looked wide eyed at Gaara. He was unharmed! Sand ran off Gaara as the shell casing fell back into the earth. Konkuro grunted.  
  
"Gaara controls the sand. Whether he wills it to or not, the sand protects him. Gaara is impervious to any attack." Ryu glared at him and pointed at Konkuro.  
  
"Shut up or you're next."  
  
"That's assuming you can survive against Gaara. That is very unlikely." Ryu spat some sand out of his mouth, and looked back at Gaara.  
  
"Quite a devastating attack you have. But I'm way too quick to be caught by that." Gaara made no reply, only glared at him with those pale green eyes. It was making Ryu feel uneasy, he was beginning to wish he had never picked a fight with Gaara of the Desert.  
  
**********  
  
"Who is that guy? Is he crazy?" Kiba asked as he watched the fight unfold. Akamaru was bundled up inside his jacket, shaking like a leaf.  
  
"Ryu-kun." Hinata muttered under her breath as she watched. It had surprised everybody, including Gaara, when Ryu had escaped the Desert Coffin using a water clone.  
  
"Did you say something Hinata?" She gasped as Kiba's voice brought her back to the present.  
  
"No, is Akamaru going to be okay?" He looked down at his dog and patted his head comfortingly.  
  
"I hope so, we should go. That guy might decide to come after us after he finishes with him. Isn't that the rookie who just became a Genin yesterday?" Shino nodded.  
  
"Yes, he must be a bigger idiot than Naruto if he's picking a fight with that guy. Let's get out of here." Hinata shook her head very subtly.  
  
"No, we can't just leave Ryu-kun like that. He might end up in trouble. He's a rookie Genin like us. We should try to help him." As if to prove what she said was true, they heard Ryu cry out in pain. Gaara had caught him once again in the Desert Coffin.  
  
*********  
  
"One last time, give me your scroll and I won't kill you." Ryu winced in pain and looked down at Gaara. Somehow, he had managed to catch him in the same attack again. How, he wasn't sure.  
  
"I already told you once." He gritted his teeth and screamed as he tried to break free, but to no avail.  
  
"No!" Before Gaara could crush his body, something flew past his head, breaking his concentration and dropping Ryu back to the ground; freeing him from the sand. As he looked to see who had thrown the object, Hinata moved to get Ryu. She moved so quickly that none of them realized she was there until she and the others were far away.  
  
*********  
  
"Is he okay?" Hinata asked as she looked down at Ryu's unconscious form. Kiba nodded.  
  
"Yeah, he's still breathing, we barely got to him in time." Akamaru was still shaking in his jacket. Gaara was powerful, dangerously powerful. Never had anything frightened his dog that bad. Ryu was still wincing from the pain he felt. His life was hanging by a thread, but he had just narrowly escaped an early death.  
  
* Yeah, this chapter's a bit longer then the others. Thought I'd offer a bit more to read since I won't be able to add anything to it for about a week and a half. By the way, I'd really appreciate some reviews. So, feel free to review. I think I'll even go out and review some stuff.I just don't have much time to read other fics (actually, I'm just to lazy too.), which sucks because some of the fics I have read in the past were really good. Well, peace! 


	6. Ch 6, Rude Awakening A Sneak Attack

Ch. 6 - Rude Awakenings. A sneak attack.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
It was snowing. Why was it snowing? Not five minutes ago Ryu had been in a forest in the middle of spring, he thought. The clouds above were very dark and ominous, snow continued to fall on the open field he found himself standing in. Peaceful, he thought. So peaceful he was about to suffocate.  
  
"Ryu!" Ryu looked up to see a man running towards him in the snow. From here, he couldn't make out the face and couldn't tell who it was. When the figure got closer, he could make out the shoulder length white hair and dark blue eyes. Yugo! A smile crossed his face as his friend met up with him and shoved a clump of snow into his face.  
  
"Hey idiot, what took you so long?" Ryu wiped his face off.  
  
"I just got dragged into this huge mess. You won't believe what happened to me." Yugo smiled at him, but the smile slowly vanished and his eyes became very dark; almost black. Ryu looked into his eyes and took a step back in fear that his friend may do something that he would later regret.  
  
"What's wrong Ryu? Don't be afraid of me. You've always been talking about how you'd like to die so you could be with your mother again. Why don't you let me fulfill your dreams? It'll only hurt for a second." Ryu shook his head absently and fell backwards into the snow.  
  
"You aren't Yugo, where's Yugo!" He tossed one of the shurikens he still carried at him, but Yugo caught it with ease. A dark laughter escaped from Yugo. Yugo tossed the shuriken back at Ryu and he screamed in pain when it stuck deep in his shoulder.  
  
"Quit fighting Ryu! Why do you always have to fight everything anyway? If you had just let your dad murder you, you'd be with your mother already. But no, you just had to run didn't you? He was only trying to help you rejoin her. He had planned on joining her himself." Ryu shook his head, still clutching his shoulder as the blood soaked into the once white snow.  
  
"Why are you doing this Yugo? I thought we were friends, why are you doing this to me!" Yugo laughed again, the sound frightened Ryu more than anything he had ever heard. His friend had never been like this. He was always supportive of Ryu, behind his back through anything.  
  
"Because you're blind to the truth Ryu! Nobody wants you around, your life isn't important. Just admit it; nobody has ever acknowledged you as being there. Do you really think anybody will care if I kill you right now?" Ryu shook his head again; tears were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. Not in a long time had he been treated this horribly by somebody close.  
  
"You're lying Yugo. There are plenty of people who would notice me if I died. But that doesn't matter." He stood up and pulled the shuriken from his shoulder. Blood dripped onto the snow as he held it in his hand.  
  
"Because you aren't going to do anything to me. And I've found somewhere where I can actually get along with people, and where they accept me. Maybe I'll just forget about you and stay there." Yugo smirked.  
  
"Sure you will, you can't be anywhere on your own. You'll come crying back to me soon enough. I've always been your support if something went wrong. Learn to rely on yourself." Ryu grunted.  
  
"I have, and I don't need your opinions about me! So just shut up!" He lunged forward, his eyes widening and blood trickled from his mouth as something slid easily through his stomach.  
  
"Goodbye, Ryu." The darkness rushed up to meet Ryu as Yugo reached up and snapped his neck.  
  
**********  
  
"No!" Ryu screamed as he sat up. Beads of sweat were trickling down his face. He was still in the forest. He clutched his head in his palms as he leaned forward. Was it just a dream? It felt so real though. And Yugo, what was the meaning of that?  
  
"Ryu-kun?" Ryu looked up to see Hinata sitting beside him.  
  
"Are you alright?" His eyes drifted away from her and back to his hands. He was horrified by what that dream could have meant, or by the possibility that it could become reality.  
  
"I don't know. How long was I out?" She looked at the ground as she tried to figure it right.  
  
"About thirty minutes maybe." Kiba answered as he crouched down beside them. They were high up in a tree. The branch was huge and could easily support at least fifteen people. Ryu looked at him and winced at the pain in his chest. Gaara's attack had been more devastating than he expected.  
  
"You guys saved me?" He nodded. Ryu pulled himself up to his feet.  
  
"Thanks, I owe you." Without warning, Ryu fell back to the ground. Hinata caught him and kept him from falling off the branch. Gaara had been too strong for him; he'd be out of commission for at least another hour.  
  
"You should stay here, where's your team?" Ryu looked up at Kiba.  
  
"I told them to wait for me at gate twenty four, do you think you could tell them what happened and to keep moving before you take off?" Hinata gave him a worried glance.  
  
"Ryu-kun, we can't just leave you here." A nod of agreement came from Kiba.  
  
"It's too dangerous; the forest is filled with Genins that are just waiting for an easy scroll. We'll stick around here with you."  
  
"No, we can't." Ryu looked up, a few branches up sat Shino. He came down a little closer to the others.  
  
"It seems somebody's already on the way. It would be alright if we just left him and continued to the tower." Hinata looked at him, surprised he would say that. They couldn't just leave him here defenseless! How could Shino even think that? Ryu nodded.  
  
"Yeah, he's right. I don't have a scroll on me anyway, they won't mess with me. Go on, just please get the message to my teammates that I'll catch up later with the second scroll." Kiba stood up and nodded, Akamaru was still in his jacket shaking.  
  
"We will, and be careful." Hinata reluctantly stood up. Maybe it was just him, but it seemed like she had taken a liking to him.  
  
"Be careful Ryu-kun." He nodded and sat up. The trio left soon after.  
  
**********  
  
"Has it been an hour yet?" Lina looked up at the sky and shook her head in reply.  
  
"No, I think he's still got a few minutes. Do you think he's alright Gado?" Gado grunted and continued to stab at the dirt with his dagger. He was bored as hell, he wanted to fight.  
  
"I don't really care. Hopefully he is, because if he isn't we'll fail this exam." Gado heard something moving off to the right and tossed his dagger in that direction. He smirked when he was rewarded with a short cry of surprise. Kiba came out from behind the bushes and handed him his dagger.  
  
"I take it you two are the ones with Ryu?" They nodded.  
  
"Ryu ran into some unexpected trouble. He said to go on ahead without him and that he'll meet up later with the second scroll." Lina hopped off the large boulder she had been sitting on.  
  
"Is he alright? Where is he?" Gado shook his head.  
  
"Don't worry about it Lina. This could work to our advantage anyway. With him moving through the forest in one possible direction and us in the other, it makes the chances of retrieving the second scroll much better." Lina nodded and smiled at Kiba.  
  
"Thank you." Kiba nodded and was gone. Lina looked back at Gado as he raised his head and looked around.  
  
"What's wrong?" Gado sniffed the air and stood.  
  
"Something's not right here. There is somebody nearby, somebody strong." Lina groaned in pain as a shuriken was stuck in her back. Gado spun to see a white-haired young man standing over her when she fell.  
  
"Very impressive, nobody else has managed to notice me yet."  
  
"Kabuto-sama?" Gado asked in surprise, but quickly dismissed that revelation when the young man stepped out of the shadow of the tree he was beneath.  
  
"No, not Kabuto. I'm sure you would be relieved if you could get off that lucky though. Now, can you tell me where Ryu is? I've been trying to catch up with him for hours." Gado growled and pulled Lina away from him, she was bleeding but it wasn't life threatening.  
  
"Do you think I'd tell you if I knew? Not a chance, find him yourself." Yugo smirked and watched as Gado helped Lina away. He left it at that, there was no reason to kill anymore innocents. He would find Ryu soon enough, and then they would be ready to leave. Whether or not they would both be leaving alive though, that was another story entirely.  
  
**********  
  
"We are the dateless losers, lonely until we die. So unappreciated-" Ryu growled and shook his head when he found himself signing again, he felt like such an idiot. Stranded in the woods alone, with no food, and Genins all around him ready to slit his throat. Maybe this wasn't so bad, he had always been manipulative so maybe he could trick somebody out of a scroll. Whatever the case, he was surrounded and needed a way out fast.  
  
"Dateless loser? Kinda surprising considering how cute you are." Ryu look up to see a girl in a pink shirt looking down at him from a branch above. He had seen her before, but couldn't remember her name. Not wanting to be caught off guard he reached for the carrier on his leg.  
  
"Hold on, I'm not here to hurt you." She dropped down to the branch he sat on and extended a palm in greeting.  
  
"I'm Tenten, I just thought you might want to know that you're completely surrounded. There are at least three teams lying in wait. As soon as you move, they'll be all over you." Ryu nodded as he accepted the handshake.  
  
"I am aware of it, but I'm not worried. I don't have a scroll at any rate, so attacking me won't get them anywhere. My name's Ryu."  
  
"Tenten, what are you doing here? We need to get moving, and we don't have time for weaklings like him." Ryu looked over the side of the branch and almost fell off as he strained to see who was speaking. Tenten caught him before he could.  
  
"Neji, I just thought we should warn him. He is the most inexperienced rookie here after all." Neji moved higher up, but said nothing in response. She sighed and stood up, looking back at Ryu once more.  
  
"Sorry, we need to get going. I'll see what I can do about drawing their attention off you." The thought just came to him that Neji looked very much like Hinata, perhaps they were related? He shrugged it off and nodded.  
  
"Thanks, I'm going to be moving out pretty soon myself. Don't worry too much if you can't draw them off, I can handle myself. Good luck to you, and I hope you pass." Neji looked at him with his pale eyes.  
  
"We don't need your luck." Ryu grunted and used the back of his hand to wipe some dirt from his face.  
  
"I'm just trying to be nice okay?" Neji didn't respond. The two left swiftly and silently.  
  
"Okay, here we go." He pulled himself up to his feet and caught himself just before falling from the tree. No sooner had he stood before he found himself caught in the center of a three-way attack. Two Genins leapt from neighboring trees to catch him in a pincer move while a third descended from above to bring a kunai into his head. None of them stood a chance. Ryu fell backwards, grabbed onto the branch, swung down, and flipped back up on the other side. As he came up, he spun to send a kick into one of the attackers. His foot caught one in the side and threw him into the other two. All three toppled from the tree.  
  
"Nice try guys, but that was reckless." He leapt down after them and searched all three for a scroll, growling in disappointment when their scroll turned out to be the same Gado was already carrying.  
  
"Of course, I should have known nothing would be that easy. But, here comes the next group." The whole thing almost seemed coordinated, as if the teams had worked together to bring him down. The next trio was even more careless than the last. They all leapt from the underbrush at once in an attempt to overwhelm him. Ryu fell back again, balancing himself on one hand as he lifted one foot up and planted it solidly on the first attacker's nose. He screamed in pain and fell back, leaving only two in the fight. Ryu flipped back up to his feet, smirking as he sent a fist into the next assailant. He went down just as quickly, followed shortly by the third.  
  
"How about you guys?" He knelt over the unconscious forms and looked through their belongings. Again, it was a Scroll of Earth. Ryu cursed under his breath and continued moving. More were still to come, but he didn't know when. That was when, as he let his mind wander the third team attacked with a bit more strategy. A lone figure emerged from the brush and launched a volley of shurikens at Ryu. Without ample time to dodge, many were embedded in his forearms as he fended off the attack. As he kept his attention on the shurikens, the other two moved behind him and attacked. Ryu cried out in pain as he was thrown forward, a shuriken planted in his chest before he hit the ground.  
  
"We were lucky. It looks like he wasn't expecting us." One of the two that had attacked from behind grabbed his hair and pulled his head up out of the dirt. A grunt of mild discomfort escaped his throat and he growled as cold steel was planted against his temple.  
  
"Give up your scroll and you may just walk away from this. If you don't comply, you're done for." Something moved in the brush, but Ryu kept his attention on the immediate threat.  
  
"Sorry, but it won't do you any good considering I have the Scroll of Earth." The Genin standing over him cursed beneath his breath.  
  
"Then it was for nothing. Oh well, guess we'll just kill you." Ryu squeezed his eyes shut as the dagger was pressed harder against his skin and began to penetrate. Before it could though, his attacker was thrown to the ground, Ryu's face dropped to the earth and he sighed with relief. The relief quickly washed away when he saw who had saved him.  
  
"Sasuke! Nobody asked you to help me! Get out of here, this is my fight!" Sasuke smirked down at him before walking over to the Genin. The other two had run off by now.  
  
"Looks like you needed the help so don't complain." Ryu rubbed his throat and jumped to his feet.  
  
"Damn, he has a Scroll of Earth." Ryu looked over at the scroll in Sasuke's palm and snatched it away.  
  
"Good, I've been looking for one of these." Sasuke locked eyes with him, his glare was lethal.  
  
"Perhaps I should beat you now and take your Scroll of Heaven, and then this won't have been in vain." Ryu crossed his arms, smirking and trying to hold back his amusement.  
  
"Won't do you much good, I don't have my other scroll. Perhaps you should just get lost then." Sasuke growled and looked about ready to attack when his eyes shot open and he fell to his knees. Caught by surprise, Ryu pulled him back up and helped him regain his balance.  
  
"Are you okay?" His eyes moved to the small black bruise on his neck.  
  
"Is that a bruise? What happened?" Sasuke pulled the neck of his shirt over the wound and averted his eyes from Ryu.  
  
"It's not your concern, just get going. I need to find Sakura and Naruto so I can tell them I was unsuccessfully in finding a second scroll." Ryu nodded.  
  
"Well good luck to you guys, I hope to see you when this is all over." Sasuke merely grunted, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. As Ryu waved farewell and walked off, Sasuke vanished once more into the forest.  
  
"This place is crazy, could it get any worse?" As if to prove the worst was still to come, an enormous snake came slithering down the trunk of a tree, bearing its fangs and hissing at him. Ryu took a step back and swallowed a lump in his throat.  
  
"Looks like it just got worse." 


	7. Ch 7, Sudden Realization

Ch. 7 - Sudden Realization.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"What's wrong? Afraid of a snake?" Ryu growled and leapt away as the huge beast snapped at him. This was a very unlucky situation.  
  
"Well when it's bigger than my house, yes." A very pale man appeared standing atop the head of the reptilian monstrosity and smirked down at Ryu.  
  
"I had heard about you." Ryu pulled a kunai from his pack, twirled it on his finger, then threw it at him.  
  
"Bet you have, get away from me!" There were few things that really bothered Ryu, but he had never been a snake person. The weapon was flung to the side as if it were nothing. Of course, next to this enormous snake it was almost nothing.  
  
"You don't really have any skill do you?" Ryu blinked at the question and looked up at the man.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean!" The man chuckled.  
  
"You never really beat Sasuke; you only caught him by surprise. The same thing can be said for how you escaped from Gaara of the Desert with your life. You may have a few impressive abilities, but you lack the true skill of a ninja. Only one thing keeps you alive, and that's luck. And why are you so quick to violence?" Ryu growled and lunged forward, completely forgetting about the snake for the moment.  
  
***********  
  
"Sakura, come with me." Sakura looked up from the small river and over at Sasuke. What could he want?  
  
"What is it Sasuke-kun? Is there something wrong?" Sasuke disregarded the question and lead her away from the river. What they found was an enormous snake much like the one Naruto had fought off. Sakura gasped and stepped behind Sasuke.  
  
"Don't worry I don't think it's going to attack us. But listen carefully." She did as he said and tilted her head in curiosity as she heard muffled guitar chords coming from inside the belly of the beast.  
  
"What is that Sasuke-kun?" A smirk crossed Sasuke's face as he took a step forward.  
  
"The idiot got what was coming to him. Come on." As they approached, the sound got louder. When they were standing next to the snake it was almost deafening.  
  
"I guess when he can't be heard he portrays his feelings through his music." Sakura guessed. It sounded like a good answer. It was extremely loud, even from inside the reptile, and sounded like it was just being thrown together.  
  
"Yes, maybe we should just leave him in there." They heard a muffled cry from inside.  
  
**********  
  
"Damn!" Ryu dropped the guitar when he felt a burning sensation in his arm, and then growled in frustration when the insides around him contracted and pulled his guitar away. He sighed. Though he hated to admit it, that guy was right. He was no ninja, and he definitely had a lot to learn. Suddenly, he was becoming very hot. The first thing that came to mind was that he was being burned by the acid from the snake. However, from the spastic movements of the creature, he guessed there was another answer.  
  
"Are you okay kid?" Ryu looked forward to see a gaping hole in the snake's side and a very familiar face look at him from it. A few minutes later he had worked his way back out of the snake. At length, Ryu finally spoke.  
  
"I guess I owe you." Sasuke glared at him. Ryu couldn't tell if he was annoyed that he was helping him again or if he was laughing inwardly at the pathetic ninja in front of him.  
  
"You should leave. You don't have anything it really takes to be a ninja. You rely on basic skill and luck. Without proper training and personal ability, you won't pass this exam." Ryu held up the scroll he had taken.  
  
"I got this didn't I?"  
  
"From a bunch of weaklings." Without warning, Sasuke grabbed the scroll.  
  
"But, I'd like to see you try to get it back from me." Ryu growled and balled his hands into fists. He lunged forward and growled again when he fell onto the ground as Sasuke dodged with ease. The would-be ninja picked himself up and made a sweeping motion with his leg. Sasuke dodged easily and sent a fist into Ryu's face. Ryu fell back, grunting in pain as he picked himself up again.  
  
"It was luck that you caught me in that water prison last time. I let my guard down because I believed you were no threat. You aren't a threat, but you are a nuisance." Ryu began to speak when Sasuke vanished. Ryu spun in time to see Sasuke move again.  
  
"Never let the enemy get behind you multiple times. Idiot." Before Ryu could move again he was sent to the ground. Sasuke grunted and let his arms fall to his sides as he turned to leave.  
  
"I was wrong to view you as anything other then a nuisance. You'll never amount to anything. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, rookie." The scroll struck Ryu in the face as Sasuke tossed it to him and left with Sakura. Ryu groaned and pulled himself up to a sitting position.  
  
"He's right. I'm no ninja. I'm just a hot-headed teenager with no real purpose." He picked up the scroll, opened it up to take a peek at it, and then tossed it away.  
  
"What was I thinking? What was Kakashi thinking? How could he see me as the only one qualified for the job?" Something caught his attention and he looked up to see Kakashi standing over him.  
  
"The examiner said not to open the scroll until you reached the tower stupid." Not wanting to make eye contact, Ryu lowered his head.  
  
"Like I care? I don't have any reason to be here anyway. What do you want?"  
  
"You aren't a ninja." Ryu glared up at him.  
  
"I know that already. No need to rub it in." Kakashi shook his head.  
  
"No, that's my point. You aren't a ninja. That's why I chose you to take this mission." Ryu looked back over him again, trying not to stare at his lazy eye.  
  
"What the hell do you mean? I'm not even qualified to be a Genin."  
  
"Of course you aren't. It's amazing you have enough Chakra to perform some of those techniques, but you are far from being a ninja. You lack many things a ninja needs, especially discipline. But you are the only one who can take this mission because you are the only one directly tied into the trouble the target has caused." Now, it was Ryu's turn to shake his head.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything? I'm tied to the target, big deal. I don't have the ninja know-how I need to take care of the target."  
  
"The target doesn't have the ninja know-how to be a proper threat. That's why it works out. He is very strong, as are you, but you both lack proper training. Don't worry, I will have Sasuke and Naruto ready to take over should you fail." Ryu growled.  
  
"Damn Sasuke, why does he have to be right about me? For once, I'd like to be able to take care of myself." The idea suddenly struck him.  
  
"Kakashi, I have a question to ask." Kakashi's gaze had wandered away, but he brought his eye back to Ryu.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can you teach me the true ways of a ninja? I mean, actually teach me. I want to become a ninja! I want to prove that I'm more than just a nuisance. I want to become a ninja!" Kakashi's eye moved in no way, though he smiled inwardly. It was just as he hoped. The young man had serious potential, and needed proper training to become a proper ninja.  
  
"I'll make deal with you Ryu. If you can finish this mission before the second exam ends, I will make sure you get the training you want." That was motivation enough, it sounded like an excellent idea to Ryu. He would complete this mission, no matter what. Because now, he had a strong desire to become a great ninja and wanted to do whatever was necessary to become one.  
  
"Yes, sir. I won't let you down. But could you do me a favor and point me in the right direction?"  
  
"Go back to where you started, you should find some clues there. Just do yourself a favor and keep your temper under control." Ryu nodded and stood.  
  
"Thanks, I'll do my best. You better be ready to train me though, because I'll have this mission complete very soon." Ryu left without another word, as did Kakashi.  
  
***********  
  
"Iruka." Iruka looked at the old man standing before him. He had been called here for something, what he didn't know yet.  
  
"Hokage-sama?"  
  
"Come sit down, I have something I want to speak with you about." Iruka nodded and sat down at the small wooden table.  
  
"What is it Hokage-sama?" The Hokage sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.  
  
"Kakashi has made a request." Iruka looked at him curiously.  
  
"A request?" He nodded.  
  
"It seems he wants you to do some special training with a new student. He specifically asked for you to take the student." He looked back at Iruka.  
  
"So, will you?" Iruka looked at the Hokage as he thought about it. After a few moments, he nodded.  
  
"Yes, I'll take the student. When will we begin?"  
  
"Whenever he returns from the mission Kakashi put him on." Iruka's eyes widened slightly.  
  
"You mean to say that Kakashi sent an inexperienced ninja on a mission? What was he thinking?" Hokage sighed.  
  
"I don't think he was. That's why you're going to withdraw him from the Forest of Death before he gets killed. I respect Kakashi, but I believe he went a little too far this time. When can you leave?" Iruka blinked.  
  
"I will leave immediately Hokage-sama." Hokage the Third nodded and watched as Iruka left for the Forest of Death. 


	8. Ch 8, Nothing Goes as Planned

Ch. 8 - Nothing Goes as Planned.  
  
*Yep, after a long delay the next chapter is finally here (whether or not you read it is up to you). Anyway, enjoy.  
*************************************************************  
  
"Hey." Ryu looked up to see the overly energetic Naruto running heading his way. Ryu grunted and lowered his gaze back to the ground. He had barely moved since Sasuke had saved him from the snake, even after he had gotten over his excitement of training to be a true ninja. The truth behind his words had been harsh.  
  
"What do you want? Don't you have an exam to finish?"  
  
"I thought you might want this. I found it inside that snake." It wasn't a pretty sight. Ryu's guitar was covered in reptile innards and the metallic shine it used to have was now almost non-existent. With great reluctance, he took the guitar and looked it over.  
  
"Thanks. But you didn't have to climb inside a dead snake to get it for me." Naruto sat down beside him.  
  
"I meant to ask you something, you seem pretty calm. If you really are from another world, why are you so calm? I'd be a little hysteric myself. And just how did you manage to beat Sasuke? Also, why is Kakashi acting kinda strange around you" His eye twitched before he answered.  
  
"It was a fluke, sheer dumb luck. That is, if you consider trapping him beating him. And I don't know anything about Kakashi. But as to why I'm not too surprised about being here, that's a pretty long story."  
  
"That's not a problem, we've got a little time."  
  
"Well, the first thing you might want to know is I didn't just learn this stuff right off the bat a few days ago. I've been practicing for a few years now, not very diligently though. It took me a while to put two and two together, I mean since it has been almost seven years since I saw any of you guys. Anyway, you might find it a bit more believable once I finish the story." Ryu sighed and closed his eyes before beginning his explanation.  
  
**********  
  
"Are you okay?" The young boy dried his eyes and looked up at the blonde haired boy standing over him, smiling like an idiot.  
  
"You're the new kid right? The one that came here yesterday?" He nodded slightly.  
  
"Don't be so shy, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. Come on, I'll show you around." The blonde boy helped him up to his feet and guided him around the schoolyard.  
  
"I know what it's like, not having any friends and being alone. I've been alone all my life, so I can relate to how you probably feel right now. Why'd you come here anyway?" The boy shrugged.  
  
"I fell asleep and when I opened my eyes again I was here, where is here anyway?"  
  
"Konoha Village, I'm Naruto. Who are you?" The boy looked back at him.  
  
"Ryu, Ryu Tanabe. My mom died about a year ago, and I don't know what happened to my dad. I've been all alone ever since they left." Naruto nodded.  
  
"You're scared because you're in a strange place and don't have anybody that will comfort you. Don't worry; I'll be your friend if that'll make you feel any better. I don't have any friends either, so it would be nice. What do you say?" Ryu nodded, Naruto returned the gesture. They stopped as Naruto began to point out individuals.  
  
"I can't really introduce you to anybody, but let me show you some of them." He pointed at a young boy with jet-black hair.  
  
"That's Sasuke, stay away from him. He's a really self-centered person, but everybody seems to like him." He pointed to a pink haired girl.  
  
"That's Sakura, and the girl next to her is Ino." He pointed to a group of three more people.  
  
"From left to right: that's Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. And-" Ryu cut him off.  
  
"Okay, that's good. Thanks." Naruto nodded. Iruka came out a few minutes later and called everybody inside. Ryu looked to Naruto before doing as instructed.  
  
********  
  
Naruto cut Ryu off there.  
  
"Now I remember you! Yeah, you were only here for maybe two or three weeks." Ryu nodded.  
  
"Right, now you get it." Naruto scratched his head.  
  
"But we went over only basic Jutsu those weeks. Where did you learn the water clone and water prison?" Ryu rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.  
  
"I told you already, I saw them in the manga. I memorized the seals for the water prison from a video. But anyway, that's where I first learned. When I got back to my own dimension, or whatever you wish to call it, I couldn't remember where the hell I had learned it. I couldn't even remember I was here until when I returned a few days back. That doesn't matter though, I'm still inexperienced. I'm quitting the exam." Naruto shook his head.  
  
"Don't do that. You may be inexperienced, but you still have the potential to be great." Ryu smirked.  
  
"That doesn't really matter to me right now. Won't mean anything if I die here. And some of these teams are out for blood, so I think quitting would be the best thing I can do." He stood and smiled at Naruto.  
  
"Naruto, be careful. You've got a dream to fulfill, and you shouldn't blow your chance here and now. I'll see you later. And do me a favor: tell Sasuke I want a real match after I finish my training." The guitar slumped against his back as he slung it over his shoulder and headed off into the woods. He raised a hand in farewell.  
  
"See you, Ryu."  
  
***********  
  
"Ryu!" Gado growled and looked back at Lina. She was conscious now, but the shuriken had injured her and he didn't want to take any chances moving her through the woods. This was turning into trouble; he was beginning to wonder if Ryu had ended up like their last teammate, dead.  
  
"He won't be coming, sorry." They both looked up to see Iruka standing a few feet up on a tree branch.  
  
"Iruka-sensei? Is he okay?" Iruka nodded.  
  
"Of course, but I have been ordered to extract him from the forest. He is inexperienced and I have orders to train him. These orders came straight from Hokage-sama. And don't worry, you two will still be able to go through the exam. Anko said there would be no problem, but that it would become harder on you without a third member." Gado growled.  
  
"We might as well give up now." Iruka sighed.  
  
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that Gado. What happened to Lina?" Gado looked at her, she was still bleeding. Lina looked away and decided to let Gado answer for her.  
  
"Somebody ambushed us; I don't know who it was. He was looking for Ryu." Iruka nodded slightly.  
  
"I'm sorry to leave so hastily, but if there is somebody looking for Ryu I should find him first." Gado nodded at him and he was gone.  
  
***********  
  
"Let's see what I've got here." Ryu fished into one of the deep pockets on his cargoes and pulled out a CD player. He smirked and checked what CD was inside.  
  
"Perfect, I didn't even remember I had this on me." He placed the headphones over his ears and put the player back in his pocket after hitting play. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught somebody moving, but he ignored it and continued walking. It was still a rather long walk back to the entrance. After the explanation he had given Naruto, he was beginning to feel better. Those few weeks now slowly returning to him, but he still had no idea how he had come here or why. Not wanting to brood over it anymore, he brought his attention back to the present. Another inexperienced rookie in the forest? The idea of it being possible didn't really stick with him.  
  
"Ryu." Iruka called as he watched from the branches above. Ryu continued walking.  
  
"Ryu." He called again, this time louder. Ryu continued walking as he shoved his hands into his pockets. His head was bobbing lightly to the music. Finally growing tired of trying to subtly get his attention, Iruka jumped down and landed a few paces ahead of him. Ryu cried out in surprised and fell backwards.  
  
"Don't do that! Who are you!?"  
  
"You're Ryu right?" He nodded as Iruka helped him up.  
  
"That's right, who're you?"  
  
"Iruka, Hokage-sama sent me to retrieve you." Ryu shook his head and continued walking. He growled softly when Iruka grabbed him by the shoulder.  
  
"Strict orders, you are returning whether or not you want to." After a long pause, Ryu sighed and relaxed.  
  
"Fine, but this better be important. Kakashi is waiting for me to complete my mission." Iruka smirked.  
  
"Not anymore he isn't. Ryu, Kakashi asked Hokage to put me in charge of training you. We will begin your training as soon as we are out of this forest."  
  
"What about Gado and Lina!?"  
  
"Don't worry, they've already left." Without another word, the two made their way to the nearest exit gate.  
  
**********  
  
"So tell me, what do you already know?" Ryu rolled his eyes as he took a seat beneath a nearby tree and looked up at Iruka.  
  
"I know that Chakra is the combination of your mind and body that can be emitted to perform different abilities. I know the basics of ninja tactics. Taijutsu, hand to hand techniques. Genjutsu, hallucination-type techniques. And there's also Ninjustsu, which is ninja techniques including anything from clones to summoning skills. I know the basics, lets just get on to the teaching." Iruka frowned.  
  
"You also have to know patience and discipline, and I think that will be what we cover today." Ryu raised an eyebrow as Iruka began to walk off.  
  
"I want you to wait here; I'll be back in a little bit. Don't move from this spot until I return." Ryu smirked.  
  
"I get it, you're going to test my patience by seeing how long I can wait." Iruka turned around and smiled.  
  
"No, I just need to go get something to eat." Ryu looked at him, dumbfounded. He grunted and shrugged it off as he watched Iruka leave. Since he figured he'd be waiting a while, he picked up his guitar and began playing softly to himself. 


	9. Ch 9 Ryu's Special Technique

Ch. 9 - Ryu's Special Technique.  
  
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For almost three months, Ryu had been training under the watchful eye of Iruka. There had been a few hectic days during the ordeals of the third Chuunin exam, but that had quieted down for the most part and they were able to continue the training. Ryu had grown to respect Iruka, a rarity for him. Never had he shown respect for an adult, not since the ordeal he had gone through with his parents where his father had murdered his mother and attempted to murder him as well. That had been almost ten years ago, he had only been four. During the course of his training, Ryu's technique and abilities had grown in leaps and bounds. The training he had been through was extensive, pushing the limits of his body and mind. So much so, that Iruka felt he was ready for one final test. Something he had not done in quite some time. He wanted to test Ryu's abilities to find out if he was ready to become a true Genin.  
  
"Ryu!" Ryu was hanging upside down by his feet in a nearby tree, using his Chakra to keep from falling. He smirked and dropped to the ground when he heard his sensei's voice.  
  
"Iruka-sensei? More training?" Iruka smiled as he looked at Ryu. The boy had become quite the young ninja. He ruffled the young man's hair and shook his head.  
  
"No, I have something else in mind today. We're going to test your abilities in combat." Ryu blinked.  
  
"Combat? Do you mean me against you? I don't know if I'm ready for that." Iruka chuckled.  
  
"Don't worry Ryu, you'll be fine I'm sure." Ryu swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded. He was more afraid of possibly injuring Iruka, but he wanted a chance to show off some of his abilities.  
  
"Don't worry about me, I can hold my own. This is only to see how well your skills are coming along." Ryu nodded again. He took a few steps back and fixed his guitar strap. Throughout his training, he had kept his guitar with him. It had become a sort of good luck charm.  
  
"Ready?" Iruka nodded at his student's question. Ryu closed his eyes for a moment before tossing a trio of shurikens at Iruka. Iruka easily dodged them, but was caught by surprise when Ryu appeared behind him and sent a kick into his side. Iruka stumbled and regained his balance, smirking.  
  
"Not bad." Ryu smiled slightly.  
  
"Thanks. I'm not done yet though." Iruka could feel something happening, but he didn't know what. He watched in curiosity as Ryu closed his eyes and raised one hand. After a moment, the strings off his guitar had detached themselves and levitated into his hand, attaching to the tips of his fingers. Ryu stretched the strings between his palms and smirked. They glowed a faint blue from the Chakra flowing through them.  
  
"It's my own personal ability, I call it Devil's Chord." He lashed out with the strings. Iruka didn't know he had been hit until he saw pieces of his hair fly from his head.  
  
"Suits it, don't you think?" Iruka tossed two shurikens at Ryu. He chuckled when his student manipulated the chords to spin quickly around his body, creating a barrier and knocking the shurikens away like toys.  
  
"Quite an impressive technique." Ryu nodded and lashed out with them again. This time, he caught Iruka's arms and legs.  
  
"It's much easier to use than that water prison. And far more effective as well. You see, your movement is restricted with the water prison. However, I can move as much as I like with this technique, and I don't have to stay still. What do you think?" Iruka smiled despite his predicament.  
  
"You put a lot of thought into this didn't you Ryu?" He nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I wanted something that suited me. This captures my love for music as well as my opponent. A small joke there." He and Iruka both laughed softly.  
  
"And as you saw, it's also got offensive power. Can you escape from it? I really need to know." Ryu frowned when Iruka vanished in a cloud of smoke. The strings that had been tied to him were now attached to a log. He scowled when he felt a kunai pressed against his neck.  
  
"Everything has a weakness Ryu, your skills have to compensate for it." He smiled at his sensei's answer.  
  
"That's how I thought that would work." He dropped down and made a sweep with his leg, dropping Iruka to the ground as he jumped away.  
  
"That's why I was working on my hand to hand skills as well." The strings untied from the log and came back to Ryu, floating in front of him like snakes ready to strike. Iruka flipped up to his feet before he could hit the ground.  
  
"What about your Genjutsu?"  
  
"I've been working on that too. Just not as much." Without another word, two exact clones of himself appeared standing on each side of him.  
  
"See, just basic clones, though I can use the water clone." Iruka nodded and tossed two shurikens at the fakes which immediately vanished.  
  
"Very good Ryu, you have come a long way since we first started."  
  
"So then the training paid off?" He asked as they both stood up straight, calling off the fight without words. The strings re-attached to the guitar on their own as Iruka spoke.  
  
"Definitely, I think it would be safe for me to say you can have this back. Your accelerated training course is no complete." He tossed the headband to Ryu who caught it and quickly tied it back onto his forehead, sideways of course. Ryu began to cheer when a familiar voice stopped him.  
  
"Sorry, but we don't have time for celebration." Gado stepped up beside Ryu giving him a half-hearted smile.  
  
"It's been a while, that technique of yours is pretty impressive." Ryu nodded.  
  
"To what do I owe this meeting?"  
  
"I like that, straight to business." The smile faded as Gado's features became much more serious.  
  
"Lina's dead."  
  
**********  
  
"So what? You guys are telling me you believe my friend Yugo is responsible for her death? Do you have any proof?" One of the higher level ninja Gado had taken Ryu to meet with nodded as he placed a tape in the small television setup in front of them. The video was proof alright, Ryu didn't know anybody else with that hairstyle and it definitely looked like his face. What he saw on the video shocked him. Yugo hadn't just murdered the girl; he had torn her body to pieces. With one small dagger, he had managed to mangle her body so badly that it was almost impossible to identify her. This young man, his friend, had committed manslaughter. A mix of sorrow and anger boiled inside Ryu. How could Yugo be strong enough to kill a Genin like that? He wanted to believe it wasn't true, but his gut had been telling him something was wrong ever since he came here.  
  
"And what do you want me to do about it?" He asked, directing his question towards Gado but not looking away from the screen.  
  
"After what you just told me about him, I think it would be a good idea for me and you to go find him. Maybe there's a chance we can handle this without having to resort to violence. Since you have a past connection, we'll try to use that to our advantage. If that doesn't work, we'll bring him in the hard way." Ryu shook his head.  
  
"No, I want to confirm he did this on my own. I'll take care of it. One way or another, I'll bring him back. Where is he?" Gado hesitated for a moment. It wasn't in their best interests to send Ryu alone, but he understood why he wanted to go.  
  
"Information we have implies that Yugo was leaving Konoha for the village of Sand. It seems he's been quite busy." Ryu nodded solemnly.  
  
"I'll find him." Gado and the other ninjas watched as Ryu left without speaking.  
  
"I have no doubts you will find him Ryu. The question is: will you be strong enough to defeat him when you do?" He whispered to himself as Ryu disappeared.  
  
"There's something strange about this Yugo guy, he should not be this strong. Be careful."  
  
***********  
  
Ten years. Yugo had been Ryu's closest friend for ten years. Now, he was hunting his best friend for committing a crime that even he couldn't forgive him for. Ryu was moving quickly, trying to catch up to Yugo before he could reach Sand.  
  
"Stop!" A voice commanded; it seemed to come from everywhere at once. Ryu landed on the ground silently in a crouch and scanned the area, but found nobody. Then, a figured shrouded in black stepped out of hiding. Ryu was currently making his way through a densely forested area, which didn't make sighting potential threats simple.  
  
"I remember you. You're that same guy who pulled me and Yugo into this mess in the first place! Who are you and what do you want!?" The man chuckled softly.  
  
"You're not exactly in a position to be making demands. Just look around. You fell right into my little trap, one wrong move and you're done for. As for who I am, my name is Juzo." Ryu took a look around, wherever he moved he would trigger a trap. Not wanting to take the chance of triggering a trap, knowing how to evade it, and falling into a second trap as he did, Ryu decided to wait for an opportunity. The man removed his robes to reveal a gray Jounin vest, unzipped all the way down. Beneath the vest he wore a black shirt with sleeves that ended a little past his elbows, and a pair of black pants. On both hands he wore fingerless gloves. His hair was a very dark brown, almost black and he wore a headband with the symbol of the village of Grass. The eyes were easily Juzo's most striking feature. They were dark red and very sinister looking.  
  
"And what I want is the pleasure of killing you." Ryu sighed, closing his eyes and shrugging his shoulders.  
  
"You may have tricked me into falling into this place," He opened his eyes again and glared at Juzo.  
  
"But I promise you it will be the last mistake you ever make!" The man curved his lips up in a smile.  
  
"That's what I was hoping you'd say." Ryu's eyes went wide as a kunai flew past his cheek, narrowly missing.  
  
"That was a warning, the next one won't miss." His hand immediately reached for his kunai to deflect that next attack, but when Ryu looked back up Juzo was gone.  
  
"Above you!" Ryu looked up to see Juzo plummeting to the ground with a kunai in hand. He flew straight down the center of Ryu's body, landing on one knee. Ryu's eyes went wide with fear before his body split in two and fell to the ground as a puddle of water.  
  
"What!?" A laugh echoed through the dark woods as Ryu watched from his hiding place.  
  
"You really think I'd leave myself open to such an obvious trap? Now I'll be making the demands, because if you move you'll be the one triggering the traps." Juzo growled.  
  
"Fool. I set the traps, I know how to move through them safely!" To prove it Juzo took a step forward. His foot fell into a hole and he immediately jumped back, crying out in surprise when a rain of shurikens flew towards him.  
  
"I set up my own traps. I'll give you a tip: don't stop moving if you want to live." Juzo ducked beneath the shurikens and smirked when they embedded themselves in the tree behind him. He had little time to congratulate himself though, because a large log swung down from the treetops to crush him. Juzo back flipped out of the way and his eyes went wide when he felt a rope wrap around one leg. The rope lifted him off the ground as two logs flew in from opposite directions to crush him. He fell back to the ground just before the logs could kill him only to have a second rope lift him back into the air. His kunai cut through the rope easily enough and he grabbed one of the logs and flipped up onto it.  
  
"No way!" Juzo cried as he looked at the log in time to see an explosive tag light up. How could he have been so foolish as to fall into all of these consecutive traps? No, it wasn't his foolishness; this child had become much more exceptional. The tags exploded and Ryu came out of hiding as Juzo landed safely on the ground. Ryu had taken the time to disarm all the other traps.  
  
"So you made it out alive." Juzo took a moment to catch his breath.  
  
"It'll take more than that to kill me!" Ryu smirked.  
  
"I figured that much." Ryu dropped into a defensive fighting stance, readying himself for an offensive attack.  
  
"Well then, let's see what you've got." In his mind, he was also eager to see what he himself now had. Juzo crouched down and charged towards Ryu. 


	10. Ch 10 A Taste of Things to Come

Ch. 10 - A Taste of Things to Come  
  
*Hmmm, I just thought I'd write something to make sure I was still capable of writing. And for anybody who enjoys reading this story, I promise to have more up in the near future.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"Iruka-sensei, where's Ryu?" Iruka looked at Naruto. The two were enjoying a few bowls of ramen at Ichiraku. It was the first time in a while they had been able to sit down and talk.  
  
"Didn't I tell you? He's off on a mission. One of his teammates was murdered and he's going after the killer. Why do you ask?" Naruto looked down at his bowl of ramen for a moment before answering.  
  
"I was hoping to see how he is doing. He seemed very unconfident last time I spoke with him. And he kept saying he was weak." Iruka smiled slightly before slurping up some more ramen.  
  
"He's come a long way since you last saw him then. He might even be capable of putting up a good fight against you. Perhaps you should speak to him when he gets back." He nodded and slurped up some more of his ramen as well.  
  
"Maybe I will. But right now, I need to worry about my stomach." Iruka laughed at Naruto's remark.  
  
"You're still the same Naruto."  
  
**********  
  
Ryu stumbled back as Juzo's fist connected with his jaw. Juzo grinned as he rose back up, but it vanished once he saw Ryu doing the same.  
  
"What are you smiling about rookie!?" Ryu wiped the corner of his mouth, removing the blood.  
  
"You're weak for a Jounin. Now, I'll show you real power." He quickly formed the seals of the boar, horse, and tiger (I think that's right).  
  
"Katon, Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Juzo widened his eyes and leapt sideways, barely avoiding the enormous fireball that shot from Ryu's mouth. He had barely touched the ground when he felt a kunai hit his knee and embed itself there.  
  
"Sorry, I thought you'd be able to dodge that." Juzo growled, pulling the kunai from his knee as he stood back up and began to form his own seals. A smirk crossed his face as he finished.  
  
"I'll douse those flames of yours for you." Ryu readied another flame attack.  
  
"Suiton Suijinheki!" Juzo's counter expelled a large amount of water from his mouth that created a barrier around his body. The flames impacted with the water and immediately created a dense cloud of mist.  
  
"Damn!" Ryu hissed as he stopped his attack and looked around inside the mist. A shuriken flew past him, skinning his shoulder; then another across his knee. Juzo was using the mist to conceal his movements.  
  
"You think you're so smart?" Another smile crossed Ryu's face as he raised his palms up in front of him and formed another seal.  
  
"There!" Juzo cried as he leapt from the mist and slashed at Ryu with his katana which had previously been sheathed on his belt. The blade sliced cleanly through Ryu's mid-section. The Genin fell apart at the waist and his form melted to the ground as water.  
  
"No, here!" Ryu corrected, leaping down from above and connected one foot with Juzo's head. The blow forced his face into the ground as Ryu backflipped off his head. By this time the mist was beginning to dissipate. A howl of pain escaped from Juzo as he clutched his face, rolling onto his side.  
  
"This is sad. I was hoping for a real challenge from a Jounin. I guess that was expecting too much. I'll end this now!" Ryu rose up from his crouch and the strings of his guitar were already attached to his fingers. The strings flew towards Juzo on his command, two wrapping around the katana as the others went for his neck and hefted him into the air.  
  
"Quite a weapon." He commented as he examined the blade. Juzo writhed and clawed at his neck as the strings slowly strangled him.  
  
"Fool." The Jounin chuckled as his skin dissolved into mud and fell to the ground.  
  
"I'm far from through." A kick to his back sent Ryu flying forward. He reached out with one hand and maneuvered so he landed on his feet facing Juzo. He smirked and raised his hand, a kunai gripped firmly in his palm.  
  
"You'd like to think so anyway." He threw the kunai towards Juzo, purposefully missing. The small dagger flew past him. Juzo watched as it passed him, thinking it may be a trigger to some sort of trap.  
  
"Take this!" When he turned back to Ryu, there was three of him running straight at him; each one holding a katana, his katana! A cry of pain came from him as the real blade cut through his skin numerous times. The two clones vanished as Ryu raised the hilt of the weapon up, connecting it solidly with Juzo's jaw and sending him off his feet.  
  
"If I'm gonna die here, so are you!" Ryu narrowed his eyes as Juzo stood again and pulled off his vest, revealing numerous explosive tags. The madman lunged towards Ryu, who quickly kicked him away and into a nearby tree. Ryu had managed to jump out of the immediate explosion before he went off. Juzo lit up a moment later and exploded, sending debris from the tree everywhere.  
  
"Idiot." He smiled slightly as he stood back up, looking at the charred ground that had been Juzo. After another minute of examining the battle ground, he found what he had been looking for, the sheath for the katana. He re-sheathed the blade and placed it on his back, between his back and his guitar.  
  
"So maybe Iruka was right. I have become stronger." Ryu chuckled as he jumped up into a nearby tree and looked around. After finding the direction he had been traveling in, he leapt to the next tree branch, then the next as he continued his pursuit of Yugo.  
  
**********  
  
"Damn, it's freezing!" Ryu's teeth chattered as he dropped to the ground, it was getting too cold to continue for the night. Having no type of protection from the elements, Ryu was forced to improvise. He found a hollowed out tree and propped himself against the inside in a sitting position. It wasn't much warmer, but it would offer cover just in case there were any other ninjas following him. There was still a lot of ground to cover, but Ryu wasn't about to be stupid and keep going when he started to feel exhausted. Besides, he had used a good amount of Chakra in his battle. Before he could even think about it, he was fast asleep.  
  
**********  
  
Ryu Tanabe. Why couldn't he stop worrying about him? Gado growled and shook his head. The Genin had left Leaf territory only a few hours ago, if what the scouts said were true. It wasn't like he really knew the guy, but he felt it would be his fault if anything happened to the kid. Not just that, but he had been his teammate, and Gado wasn't one to abandon a teammate. This all just seemed too strange to him. Why had this guy killed Lina? Perhaps to get Ryu's attention? No, Gado was almost certain there was more behind it then that.  
  
"Hey!" Gado looked up to see Naruto running towards him. He had only met the young ninja on two separate accounts; both times he had been tempted to beat the boy so he would keep quiet.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked, slightly irritated. Naruto frowned at him, closing his eyes.  
  
"You're Ryu's teammate right? Why didn't you go with him?"  
  
"What kind of stupid question is that? I didn't go with him because he wanted this mission to himself. It's somewhat a little personal to him." Naruto's frown deepened.  
  
"I see. You should have gone with him, he might get in trouble." Gado shrugged and began to walk off.  
  
"Big deal. He's old enough to take care of himself. Besides, it was his choice, either he comes back or he doesn't." Naruto watched him leave, still frowning. That was no way to treat a teammate. He shrugged it off and began walking the other way.  
  
***********  
  
"Orochimaru-sama!" Orochimaru looked up from his current task at the white-haired young man. He reminded him somewhat of Kabuto because of his hair, but was nothing alike past that feature.  
  
"If this involves your own personal vendetta, keep it to yourself. I have far more pressing issues to attend to. That weakling doesn't interest me." Yugo bowed his head slightly, breaking direct eye contact.  
  
"But Orochimaru-sama, I hear he has become stronger. Besides, he had originally been recognized as a potential Genin by Kakashi when he first returned to our lands. He's on his way here, he took my bait." Orochimaru frowned and churned the information around in his head.  
  
"Test him. If he passes, speak to me. I will think about meeting with him. Unless you had something else in mind?" Yugo smirked.  
  
"I'll decide what to do once we meet." He bowed his head again and left the room. Yugo clenched his left hand into a fist, he was getting excited. This had been what he had hoped for ever since he met Ryu; a chance to bring him back to his real home and fight him. The child had always been a talker, finding a non-violent way out of problems because he didn't have the same strength Yugo had. But now, he had that strength. And if Ryu fought half as well as he spoke, he would make for a good match.  
  
*Ok, I'm really not sure about this Orochimaru deal. I dunno if he's still around (though I do believe he is), but since it is a fan fic I don't really see a problem with it anyway. And when I get more up, I promise it'll be much better then this. 


End file.
